# NTSB ATL00LA002: Piper PA-28-161, N616FT, Lake Wales, FL, October 23, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 23, 1999, 13:05 local (17:05 UTC) - Place: Lake Wales, FL - Coordinates: 27.87026, -81.630371 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.8703&lon=-81.6304&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 2, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 47640 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL00LA002 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/47640/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL00LA002 ## Probable cause The carburetor icing conditions that were present. Factors were the failure of the pilot to follow the emergency procedures checklist, and the objects that included a flag pole, a road sign and a tractor trailer vehicle. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(partial) - nonmechanical, cruise - normal - weather condition - carburetor icing conditions (cause) - emergency procedure - not followed, pilot in command (contributing factor) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - On ground/water collision with object, landing - roll - object - pole (contributing factor) - object - sign (contributing factor) - object - vehicle (contributing factor) ## Analysis After performing a touch and go landing, the pilot initiated a turn toward the north and leveled off in cruise flight at 2,500 ft. msl. Shortly thereafter, the engine began running rough. He attempted to divert to a private airstrip and failed to follow the emergency procedures checklist. Lacking sufficient altitude to glide to the airstrip, he decided land on an adjacent highway. During the landing rollout, the right wing of the airplane struck a flag pole, a road information sign, and the side of a tractor trailer. An examination of the engine was conducted by an FAA inspector. The engine was started and ran at all power settings, and no mechanical discrepancies were found. According to reported weather conditions, the temperature and dew point were 77 and 61 degrees F., respectively. Conditions at the time were favorable for the formation of carburetor icing. ## Factual narrative On October 23, 1999, at 1305 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161, N616FT, registered to and operated by the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), collided with a parked truck while attempting an emergency landing on Alternate Highway 27 north of Lake Wales, Florida. The flight was being conducted by the private pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed. The pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight originated from Lake Wales Municipal Airport in Lake Wales, Florida, at 1255, with an intended destination of Melbourne, Florida. According to the pilot, after he performed a touch and go landing on runway 24 at Lake Wales, he initiated a right turn toward the north. He leveled off in cruise flight at an altitude of 2,500 feet above mean sea level (msl). Shortly thereafter, the engine began to "run rough." He enriched the fuel mixture but no change in engine performance was noted. The pilot declared an emergency and attempted to divert to a private airstrip located south of his position. According to FIT's Director of Operations, the pilot "was more concerned with finding the strip than performing the emergency checklist, thus no carb[uretor] heat [was] applied." Realizing that he did not have sufficient altitude to glide to the airstrip, he decided to land on the highway. During the landing rollout, the right wing of the airplane struck a flag pole, a road information sign, and the side of a tractor trailer. The aircraft came to rest south of the tractor trailer facing west. An on-scene investigation was conducted by an FAA inspector following the accident. The engine was started and ran at all power settings, and no mechanical discrepancies were found. According to reported weather conditions at Bartow, Florida, the closest weather facility located nine nautical miles west of the accident site, the temperature and dew point were 77 and 61 degrees F., respectively (see attached icing probability curve). Conditions at the time were favorable for the formation of carburetor icing. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N616FT](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N616FT-2014-08-20), registration cancelled 2014-08-20, S/N 2841239, built 1989 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-28-161 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28-161](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-161) (registry code 7102803) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 2841239 - Airframe hours: 7600 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-D3G 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Florida Institute Of Tech. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, October 18, 1999, 23 hours before - Departed: X07, FL - Destination: MLB, MELBOURNE, FL - Flight plan: VFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 18; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 50 total, 50 in this make and model, 15 as pilot in command, 14 in the last 90 days, 4 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 290° at 12 knots - Visibility: 15 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 77 °F, dew point 61 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: BOW, 9 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19991023043749A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19991023043749A), Oct 23, 1999: Piper PA28161, Lake Wales, FL, No damage. (-23) A/c departed lal, with touch and go planned at X07 then direct mlb. Following touch and go, PIC experienced decreasing engine power and declared… ## Other investigations on N616FT (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ERA11LA067](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA11LA067), Feb 26, 2009: Piper PA-28-161 (N616FT), Melbourne, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The student pilot's inadequate crosswind landing technique and the certified flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.