- Date
- November 14, 1990, 21:15 local (Nov 15, 1990, 05:15 UTC)
- Place
- Port Townsend, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9583UGrumman American AA-1C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901114050279A
- Case key
- 41362
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 use carburetor heat which resulted in a loss of engine power and 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
The plt reported he extended the pattern downwind for departing acft. When the airplane turned from downwind to base, pwr was reduced, carb heat was applied and flaps were extended a few seconds later, the student told the instructor something was wrong with the engine. The flt instructor took over and applied pwr without eng response. The airplane was unable to land at the arpt and an emergency off field landing was made. During the descent, the airplane collided with a pwr pole and nosed over. During the engine inspection there were no noted mechanical ailures or malfunctions reported. The temp and dewpoint spread indicate that the airplane was operating in serious icing conditions for cruise or climb power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9583U
- Reported as
- Grumman American AA-1C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA1C0022
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Lawrence D. Sutherland
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
- 54
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Military, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 22,500 total · 200 in this make and model · 10,800 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,600 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NUW, 18 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.