# NTSB ERA11LA395: Andrew McKimmon DR-1 Triplane, Geneseo, NY, July 9, 2011

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report
- Date: July 9, 2011, 12:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place: Geneseo, NY
- Coordinates: 42.808334, -77.846664 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.8083&lon=-77.8467&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341)
- Highest injury: Minor injuries
- Injuries: 1 minor
- Status: Completed, report August 29, 2012
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties: FAA/FSDO
- SAIBs cited in the narratives: [SAIB CE-09-35](https://openairdocs.org/saib/CE-09-35) (OpenAirDocs)
- NTSB case key (mKey): 81059
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA11LA395
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/81059/pdf
- NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=81059
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA11LA395

## Probable cause

A total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

## Findings

NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause.

- [Temp/humidity/pressure: conducive to carburetor icing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03031030): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Effect on operation (probable cause); cases with it: [All aircraft, 435 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03031030/cases.md)

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md)
- [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md)
- [Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096); cases with it: [All aircraft, 2,287 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096/sequence.md)

## Analysis

The pilot was maneuvering the airplane about 600 feet above ground level during an airshow. The engine lost power, the pilot attempted a forced landing in a corn field, and the airplane flipped over. The pilot reported that he completed the engine power-loss checks after the engine lost power. After recovery of the wreckage, impact-related engine damage was repaired and the engine was reinstalled on the airframe. Two test runs were completed, and the engine ran normally during both runs. The airplane was being operated in conditions conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power at the time of the accident.

## Factual narrative

On July 9, 2011, about 1215 eastern daylight time, a Canadian-registered Fokker DR-1, C-GDRI, was substantially damaged following loss of engine power and forced landing in a corn field at Geneseo, New York. The private pilot was not injured. The experimental, amateur-built airplane was registered to and operated by the Ontario Aviation Historical Society under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an aerial demonstration flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from Geneseo Airport (D52), Geneseo, New York about 1200. The pilot reported the following. He was participating in an airshow at the Geneseo Airport. While maneuvering on the mid-field downwind leg for runway 5, about 600 feet above ground level, the engine lost power. He was unable to regain engine power so he prepared for a forced landing in a corn field. During the landing, the airplane flipped over and the wings and fuselage sustained structural damage. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the accident site and inspected the wreckage. A cursory examination of the engine revealed no obvious reasons for the engine power loss. The operator reported that the airplane took off with about 15 gallons of fuel on board. The wreckage was subsequently recovered to the Great War Flying Museum facilities in Ontario, Canada where a detailed examination of the engine was performed under the supervision of an investigator from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. After repair of impact-related damage, the engine was re-installed on the airframe and the airframe was secured to a dolly. A test propeller was installed on the engine. The engine was started and the throttle was advanced to 2,200 rpm. The engine ran "flawlessly." The engine was shut down and a second run was attempted. The second engine run was uneventful and the engine did not lose power or run roughly. The temperature and dew point at the time of the accident were 70 degrees F and 59 degrees F, respectively. According to the carburetor icing chart found in the FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, the airplane was operated in conditions conducive to serious icing at glide power at the time of the accident.

## Aircraft

- Registration: C-GDRI (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: Andrew McKimmon DR-1 Triplane
- Category: Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number: AM-1
- Airframe hours: 163
- Engines: Jacobs L-4Mb 245 horsepower reciprocating
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Air race/show, Part 91
- Operator: Ontario Aviation Historical Society
- Registered owner: Ontario Aviation Historical Society
- Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection: Annual, July 7, 2011
- Departed: D52, Geneseo, NY
- Destination: D52, Geneseo, NY
- Flight plan: Unknown
- Airport: D52, Geneseo Airport

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 66; injuries: minor; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review March 5, 2011; seat: single; flight hours: 2,050 total, 31 in this make and model, 1,824 as pilot in command, 8 in the last 90 days, 8 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 330° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 79 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observed at: DSV, 15 nm away

## Docket (3 files)

The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 3, 2012, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=81059. 1.2 MB in all.

- Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 897 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40362414&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF
- TSB Record of Engine Inspection (item 2, .PDF, 113 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40362415&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=TSB%20Record%20of%20Engine%20Inspection-Master.PDF
- Excerpt from SAIB CE-09-35 Carburetor Icing Chart (item 3, .PDF, 154 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40362416&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Excerpt%20from%20SAIB%20CE-09-35%20Carburetor%20Icing%20Chart-Master.PDF

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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