Accident Piper PA-24 Comanche N7660P,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 65904
 
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Date:Saturday 20 June 2009
Time:17:37
Type:Silhouette image of generic PA24 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Piper PA-24 Comanche
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N7660P
MSN: 24-2873
Year of manufacture:1961
Total airframe hrs:5895 hours
Engine model:Lycoming O&VO-360 SER
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Urbana Municipal Airport (I74), Ohio -   United States of America
Phase: Take off
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Urbana, OH (I74)
Destination airport:Springfield, OH (SGH)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The pilot reported that during the engine run-up prior to the first flight of the day, he noted that there was no resistance on the control knob when he checked the operation of the carburetor heat and that there was a slightly “sluggish” return in the engine rpms as it returned to normal. The engine operated normally during this flight. When he applied carburetor heat during the engine run-up for the second flight of the day, he noticed that the rpm needle "wiggled down 50" then returned to the set rpm. Everything appeared normal during the takeoff until the airplane reached about 200 feet above the runway, when it felt a little “soggy.” The pilot stated that he raised the landing gear to reduce drag, but it did not seem like the engine was producing power. The pilot then extended the landing gear and decided to land the airplane in a field off the end of the runway. The landing gear, which was not locked down, collapsed during the landing and the left wing was substantially damaged when it contacted a runway end identifier light. Postaccident inspection of the airplane and engine revealed that the carburetor heat bracket between the valve shaft and the cable was fractured and missing. The carburetor heat valve was in the open position.
Probable Cause: A failure of the carburetor heat cable attach bracket which resulted in the inadvertent activation of carburetor heat and the subsequent loss of engine power during takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's operation of the aircraft with a known deficiency.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: CEN09CA378
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 2 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
22-Jun-2009 11:13 slowkid Added
21-Dec-2016 19:25 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
02-Dec-2017 15:35 ASN Update Bot Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]

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