- Date
- February 20, 1993, 17:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Cannonball, ND
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4229PPiper PA-23-160
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930220003039A
- Case key
- 15670
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 blockage of the inlet air filter from snow.
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
The pilot stated that while in cruise flight at 1,000' AGL, the left engine lost power. He stated he noted black smoke coming from the exhaust and he feathered the propeller. The pilot stated the airplane would not maintain altitude and he did not think he could make it back to an airport, so he landed the airplane gear-up on a river bed. Post accident inspection revealed the left engine inlet air filter was blocked by snow. The right engine filter was also found contaminated with snow. Spark plug inspection revealed the engine had been running with a rich mixture.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4229P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-1725
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hif, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Hif, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 28, 1993
- Departed
- PHP · Philip, SD
- Destination
- Y19 · Mandan, ND
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
- 22
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 630 total · 220 in this make and model · 400 as pilot in command · 170 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BIS, 29 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.