- Date
- February 15, 1992, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Isle Au Haut, ME
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N36142Piper PA-22-20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 37127
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
Fuel system icing and contamination which resulted in a loss of engine power and subsequent stall and loss of control during a forced landing.
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
Shortly after takeoff from an ice covered lake, the engine lost power. The pilot made a turn to avoid going into the ocean and stalled the airplane onto the ice. The pilot said he used carburetor heat prior to takeoff. The examination of the airplane by the FAA revealed 'water still remaining in the gas bowl and also in the carburetor...and dead bug debris from the fuel line elbow.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N36142
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3121
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-B2, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Floyd Watts
- Registered owner
- Ace Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000 · 25 hours before
- Destination
- 98B · Belfast, ME
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
- 62
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 25 in this make and model · 39 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg