- Date
- June 6, 1989, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Creve Coeur, MO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N29309Waco UPF-7
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 19, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 34805
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
Improper use of the carburetor heat by the pilot and carburetor ice. Contributing factors were: carburetor icing conditions, high obstructions and terrain conditions (corn crop).
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 reported that shortly after takeoff, after attaining an altitude of about 100 ft, the engine began losing power. He initiated a shallow right turn to avoid trees and to stay over the airport. However, the engine lost all power and an emergency landing was made in an adjacent corn field where the aircraft was substantially damaged. No preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure was found during the investigation. The temperature & dew point were 81 and 50 degrees, respectively. According to icing probability charts, conditions were conducive to carburetor icing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N29309
- Reported as
- Waco UPF-7
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5336
- Airframe hours
- 2,556
- Engine
- Continental W-670-6N, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rwm Enterprises,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Rwm Enterprises Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 11, 1988 · 46 hours before
- Departed
- 1H0
- Airport
- 1HO · Creve Coeur, runway 25, 3,020 × 175 ft, grass/turf
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,431 total · 52 in this make and model · 1,246 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SUS, 8 nm away