- Date
- February 22, 1989, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wolf Point, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4627EAeronca 7AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890222002469A
- Case key
- 17675
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 failure of the student pilot to use carburetor heat in a timely manner which resulted in a partial loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the inadequate weather evaluation the pilot made after taking off and flying through fog due to his lack of experience.
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 student plt was on a practice flight near his ranch strip. The plt said he took off through 'light' fog and after cruising for 20 minutes, the engine began to lose RPM and power. Full carburetor heat and full throttle failed to maintain engine power. The plt said he selected a snow covered stubble field for a forced landing and at touchdown the main landing gear entered 12 inches of crusted snow and the plane nosed over. A post accident inspection by an A&P mechanic failed to reveal evidence to explain the reported loss of RPM. During an engine run the engine performed normally. Outside surface air temp was reported as zero degs f and the dewpoint was -4 degs f.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4627E
- Reported as
- Aeronca 7AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7DC-161
- Airframe hours
- 1,214
- Engine
- Continental C-85-8, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Nickels, Stephen A
- Registered owner
- Lester Nickels
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 25, 1988 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Nashua, MT
- Destination
- NONE
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 32 total · 32 in this make and model · 18 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.