# NTSB FTW96LA026: Beech 23, N5070T, Strasburg, CO, October 25, 1995 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 25, 1995, 09:15 local (15:15 UTC) - Place: Strasburg, CO - Coordinates: 39.730411, -104.300872 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.7304&lon=-104.3009&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 14, 1996 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 19696 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW96LA026 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/19696/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96LA026 ## Probable cause THE PILOT'S DELAYED APPLICATION OF CARBURETOR HEAT. A FACTOR WAS THE UNSUITABLE TERRAIN. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(partial) - nonmechanical, cruise - normal - weather condition - carburetor icing conditions - carburetor heat - delayed, pilot in command (cause) - fuel system,carburetor - ice (cause) - Forced landing, emergency landing - On ground/water collision with object, landing - roll - object - fence - Main gear collapsed, landing - roll - terrain condition - none suitable (contributing factor) - terrain condition - soft - landing gear,main gear - overload ## Analysis WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT, THE ENGINE LOST 25-35 RPM AND BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. THE PILOT CHECKED THE MAGNETOS, WHICH WERE FOUND TO BE OPERATING NORMALLY, AND THEN APPLIED CARBURETOR HEAT. THE ENGINE DECELERATED TO IDLE AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE BACK TO NORMAL POWER. AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS MADE TO A FIELD WHICH WAS SOFT AND MUDDY. DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A FENCE AND DURING LANDING ROLL THE LANDING GEAR SHEARED OFF WHEN IT SUNK INTO THE SOFT TERRAIN. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ENGINE PROVIDED NO EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. TEMPERATURE/DEW POINT SPREAD AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE WAS 14 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. ## Factual narrative On October 25, 1995, at 0915 mountain daylight time a Beech BE- 23, N5070T, made a forced landing in a field approximately four miles northwest of Strasburg, Colorado. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this Title 14 CFR Part 91 personnel cross country flight and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Parkland Airstrip, a private facility near Erie, Colorado, at 0845. The proposed destination was El Reno, Oklahoma. According to the pilot, about 30 minutes into the flight while in cruise, the engine lost 25 to 35 rpm then began to run rough. The pilot said he checked the magnetos and they were normal so he applied carburetor heat. When the heat was applied, the pilot said the engine decelerated to idle and would not accelerate following removal of the heat. According to Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), they received a distress call on 121.5 megahertz, identified the aircraft on radar, and attempted to direct the pilot towards a private strip which was the closest facility to his location. Due to terrain masking loss of signal, ARTCC lost radar and voice contact prior to the landing and alerted the FAA Northwest Operations Center and local authorities. The pilot said he could not extend his glide to the private airport pointed out to him by ARTCC and he conducted an emergency landing in a field. During the landing in a farm field, which was soft and muddy, the aircraft struck a fence and the landing gear was sheared off after sinking into the soft terrain. An examination of the aircraft and engine was conducted by this investigator accompanied by an FAA airworthiness inspector and a representative from the engine manufacturer. No evidence was found of an airframe or system failure or malfunction and no evidence was found to indicate the engine was not capable of producing power prior to the accident. A review of the pilot's statement and weather information by the investigative team revealed that, although the temperature/dew point spread was 14 degrees Fahrenheit, the pilot's description of events were characteristic of an encounter with carburetor ice as described in the engine manufacturer's information publication. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5070T](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5070T-1998-04-14), registration cancelled 1998-04-14, S/N M-1134 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BEECH 23 - Registry model: [Beech B23](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-b23) (registry code 1151240) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: M1134 - Airframe hours: 1549 - Engines: LYCOMING O-360-A2G 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Phillip M. Young - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, September 9, 1995, 4 hours before - Departed: 7CO0, ERIE, CO - Destination: F-28, EL RENO, OK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 58; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 496 total, 220 in this make and model, 4 in the last 90 days, 3 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 270° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 39 °F, dew point 27 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: DIA, 30 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19951025034469A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19951025034469A), Oct 25, 1995: Beech 23BEECH, Strasburg, CO, Substantial damage. Rough engine. Lost power to idle using carb heat. Hit fence and sheared off gear landing. Possible carb icing. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.