- Date
- November 18, 1991, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ontario, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9776CPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911118052339A
- Case key
- 41611
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 icing and the pilot's failure to use carburetor heat. A factor contributing to the accident was the transmission wires.
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
At the conclusion of a reduced power descending spiral, without the use of carburetor heat, the pilot applied throttle and the engine failed to respond. A forced landing was executed during which the aircraft struck power lines which the pilot did not see. Surface temperature and dew point near the accident site fell into a range conducive for carburetor icing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9776C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7816527
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- J.C. Pitts, doing business as Ontario Flight Services
- Departed
- ONO · Ontario, OR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 18
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 64 total · 18 in this make and model · 24 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Observed at
- ONO, 5 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.