- Date
- August 30, 2009, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Thomasville, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6982RBeech B19
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern base: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 29, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090830049119A
- Case key
- 74630
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
A partial loss of engine power due to a partial blockage of the carburetor fuel inlet filter.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the pilot, during the preflight inspection, he checked the full fuel tanks for water at all three access points, with none found. The engine ran smoothly during taxi, run up and takeoff, but "stumbled" upon level off. The pilot switched tanks, "checked" the carburetor heat, and found that the engine only smoothed out when he added full power. The pilot decided to return to the airport, and during the base leg, the engine lost all power, resulting in a forced landing in a cornfield. A postflight examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed no obvious mechanical anomalies with the physical components of the engine. However, when he examined the carburetor fuel inlet filter, the inspector found it about 75 percent blocked with particulate matter consisting of large quantities of rust, insect remains, and sand. A restriction of this amount would significantly effect the engine's ability to operate at lower power settings and could result in a total loss of engine power.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, during the preflight inspection, he checked the full fuel tanks for water at all three access points, with none found. The engine ran smoothly during taxi, run up and takeoff, but "stumbled" upon level off. The pilot switched tanks, "checked" the carburetor heat, and found that the engine only smoothed out when he added full power. The pilot decided to return to the airport, and during the base leg, the engine lost all power, resulting in a forced landing in a cornfield. A postflight examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed no obvious mechanical anomalies with the physical components of the engine. However, when he examined the carburetor fuel inlet filter, the inspector found it about 75 percent blocked with particulate matter consisting of large quantities of rust, insect remains, and sand. A restriction of this amount would significantly effect the engines ability to operate at lower power settings and could result in a total loss of engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6982R
- Reported as
- Beech B19
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- MB-752
- Airframe hours
- 4,597
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 28, 2009 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- THV · York, PA
- Destination
- THV · York, PA
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 293 total · 147 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 26, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 392 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.