- Date
- September 8, 1989, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rowland, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4386JPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890908034239A
- Case key
- 8063
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to recognize and prevent carburetor icing prior to take off.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After a normal pre flight inspection, engine start, engine run up, and take off from runway 4 the engine began to lose RPM, slowly. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions, the engine oil and fuel pressure was normal, and the fuel pump was on. The owner's handbook for the airplane emphasizes ensuring that carburetor ice has not built up during the taxi for take off. Icing probability charts indicate that the icing probability at glide power was serious. The temperature was 80 degrees, dew point was 68 degrees, and the relative humidity was about 68%.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4386J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-22774
- Airframe hours
- 6,695
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Evans, John W.
- Registered owner
- Evans, John Wesley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 7, 1989 · 80 hours before
- Airport
- Davis
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,700 total · 100 in this make and model · 4,600 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FAY, 30 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.