- Date
- November 11, 1992, 09:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Jayton, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2078PPiper PA-23-150
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921111046379A
- Case key
- 18614
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 failed to maintain flying speed while maneuvering for landing and allowed the a/c to stall. Factors were the low ceilings, the pilots disregard of the forecast weather, the carburetor icing conditions, and the pilots delayed application of carburetor heat.
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 received weather information for the return flight that forecast ceilings below VFR minimums with drizzle and fog from a slow moving cold front. He proceeded with the flight at low altitude and encountered carburetor icing conditions which resulted in a partial loss of power. He diverted to a near by airport where eyewitnesses observed the airplane maneuvering at an altitude less than 200 feet AGL and making sharp left turning maneuvers around the airport. The eyewitnesses also reported observing the airplane's nose drop before the left wing impacted the terrain near the approach end of runway 17. It was later determined that the airplane was attempting to land with a tailwind. According to a passenger, the pilot had both carburetor heat controls on during the low level maneuvers to keep the runway in sight and continued to manipulate the power before the airspeed dropped and the stall occurred. The temperature of 46 degrees f and dew point of 43 degrees placed the airplane in serious icing at cruise power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2078P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-665
- Airframe hours
- 6,405
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bridgeport Flt Trng Ctr Inc
- Registered owner
- Bridgeport Flt Trng Ctr Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 5, 1992 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- Q24 · Levelland, TX
- Airport
- 22F · Kent County, runway 17, 3,300 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 21
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,507 total · 50 in this make and model · 1,450 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LBB, 85 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.