- Date
- January 1, 1991, 14:36 local (19:36 UTC)
- Place
- Wildwood, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N81839Piper PA-28-236
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910101000059A
- Case key
- 36863
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's failure to apply carburetor heat during the descent which resulted in a loss of engine power due to carburetor ice.
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 airplane descended from cruise altitude to pattern altitude of about 1000 feet AGL. During the descent the pilot did not apply carburetor heat. When the pilot applied power to maintain pattern altitude the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot intentionally landed in unsuitable terrain. The engine was test run and no discrepancies were found. At the time of the accident, the OAT was 42 degrees fahrenheit and the dew point was 26 degrees fahrenheit. According to the probability of carburetor icing chart, these conditions are conductive for serious icing during glide.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N81839
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-236
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8011099
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-J3A5D, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mr. Mark Dubowe
- Registered owner
- Mr. Mark Dubowe
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- N88 · Doylestown, PA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- WWD · Wildwood, runway 14, 4,300 × 150 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 405 total · 64 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Observed at
- WWD, 1 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 N81839 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.