ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 142390
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| Date: | Wednesday 8 February 2012 |
| Time: | 12:00 |
| Type: |  Varga 2150A Kachina |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N8293J |
| MSN: | VAC-139-79 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1831 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | South area of Lake Palestine, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Jacksonville, TX (JSO) |
| Frankston, TX (T25) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot was returning from a cross-country flight. The airplane was overdue, and a search was initiated. The airplane was located in a lake short of the pilot’s destination airport. There were no reported witnesses to the accident. The airplane’s canopy was found locked in the open position, the pilot’s seat belts were unlatched, the fuel shut-off valves and ignition switch were in the “OFF” position, and the battery and avionics switches were also in the off position. The throttle was found full open, the mixture control was full rich, and the carburetor heat was in the cold position. The airplane was recovered, and the engine was test run. The engine started and ran; no preimpact abnormalities with the airplane or engine were found. The medical examiner noted the pilot’s cause of death as "drowning, hypothermia, and minor blunt force injuries.” The weather in the area was clear with light wind; however, the temperature and dew point indicated that the airplane was operating in an area that was associated with a serious risk of carburetor ice accumulation at cruise power settings. Based on the location of the destination airport, weather, and the airplane’s condition and location, it is likely that the pilot had not applied carburetor heat, and the airplane experienced a loss of engine power due to carburetor ice. The pilot then had to ditch the airplane in the lake. The loss of engine power was likely due to carburetor ice.
Probable Cause: The loss of engine power due to carburetor ice, which resulted in the pilot ditching the airplane into the lake. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision not to apply carburetor heat.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://www.ketknbc.com/news/cap-searching-for-missing-plane-out-of-jacksonville-area
http://www.ketknbc.com/news/update-missing-plane-found-in-lake-palestine
https://tylerpaper.com/article/20120209/news01/120209788/-1/rss01/
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=8293J
https://www.news-journal.com/news/police/plane-pulled-from-lake-palestine-but-pilot-still-missing/article_3c33da69-b709-5083-8105-a8ea8659e4c9.html
https://nfdc.faa.gov/nfdcApps/airportLookup/airportDisplay.jsp?category=nasr&airportId=T25
https://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20120209X54747&key=1
http://www.maag.us/images/fbeyer.jpg (photo)
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Feb-2012 07:03 | gerard57 | Added |
| 09-Feb-2012 09:23 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Feb-2012 11:53 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 11-Feb-2012 07:08 | gerard57 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Feb-2012 07:09 | gerard57 | Updated [Narrative] |
| 11-Feb-2012 10:54 | Alpine Flight | Updated [Time, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 15-Feb-2012 13:52 | Geno | Updated [Time, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 20:19 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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