- Date
- April 6, 1991, 07:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Wenatchee, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9651UGrumman American AA-1C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910406009009A
- Case key
- 41407
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
Carburetor ice as a result of the pilot's improper use of carburetor heat.
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 take off during the climb to cruise, the engine lost patrial power and the RPM dropped. The pilot went through the emergency procedures without success in regaining full power. An emergency descent to landing was initiated in mountainous terrain. The icing probability chart indicated that the airplane was operating near the range of serious icing at cruise, climb, or glide power settings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9651U
- Reported as
- Grumman American AA-1C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA1C-0088
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 118 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James Q. Baxter
- Registered owner
- James Q. Baxter
- Departed
- EAT · Wenatchee, WA
- Destination
- MFR · Medford, OR
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 401 total · 257 in this make and model · 296 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EAT, 8 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.