- Date
- December 20, 1983, 13:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Schuyler, NE
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N43302Piper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831220062209A
- Case key
- 33605
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
While descending toward the planned destination, the eng began running rough & the plt attempted to improve the eng's performance by using carburetor heat. He made a localizer-only apch, but was unable to see the rwy at the min descent alt. A missed apch was made & he started to divert back omaha, NE. However, while en route, he was unable to maintain altitude. At aprx 500 ft AGL, the plt was able to continue with visual references. He selected a show covered field & made a soft field apch & landing. During the landing, the acft was damaged when it dropped off of a terrace onto another. The terrace was not visible from the air due to the snow cover. An exam revealed that the carburetor fuel nozzle was covered with ice. The carburetor heat sys was found to be operational.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43302
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-72500036
- Airframe hours
- 3,455
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Aaa Air Enterprises., Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 13, 1983 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- OMA · Omaha, NE
- Destination
- Columbus, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,377 total · 350 in this make and model · 1,169 as pilot in command · 338 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 10 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 10 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OLU, 13 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.
Other investigations on N43302 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.