- Date
- January 16, 1999, 10:50 local (15:50 UTC)
- Place
- Bolivar, MO
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N793DBBaker Fisher Horizon
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 7, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990116000509A
- Case key
- 45615
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 improper use of carburetor heat which resulted in carburetor icing and subsequent loss of engine power.
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 reported that after about 20 to 30 minutes of flying the engine began to lose power. He checked the magnetos, added carburetor heat, and changed throttle settings, but it did not restore engine power. The pilot said that he executed a forced landing into a field but it was too short and the airplane struck a fence. The pilot reported that he thought the 'engine problem was caused by carburetor ice. Flying at 1,000 feet there was not enough time for the carburetor heat to clear the ice.' The temperature was 44 degrees Fahrenheit and the dew point was 34 degrees Fahrenheit. According to a carburetor icing probability chart, the conditions were conducive for carburetor icing.
Factual narrative
On January 16, 1999, at 1050 central daylight time, an experimental Baker Fisher Horizon One, N793DB, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing when it hit a fence during landing roll. The pilot reported a loss of engine power. The private pilot received minor injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight departed Bolivar Airport, Bolivar, Missouri, on a local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that after about 20 to 30 minutes of flying the engine began to lose power. He checked the magnetos, added carburetor heat, and changed throttle settings, but it did not restore engine power. The pilot reported he executed a forced landing into a field but it was too short and the airplane struck a fence.
The pilot reported that he thought the "engine problem was caused by carb ice. Flying at 1,000 feet there was not enough time for the carb heat to clear the ice."
The temperature was 44 degrees Fahrenheit and the dew point was 34 degrees Fahrenheit.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N793DB
- Reported as
- Baker Fisher Horizon (FISHER HOR)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- HO-118
- Airframe hours
- 101
- Engine
- Continental C85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James Donald Baker
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 12, 1998 · 58 hours before
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
- 68
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 277 total · 101 in this make and model · 219 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SGF, 25 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.