3 Jan 2016: CESSNA 170B

3 Jan 2016: CESSNA 170B (N3035A) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Ingleside, TX, United States

Probable cause

The loss of engine power during takeoff due to carburetor icing, which resulted in a forced landing.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On January 3, 2016, at 1445 central standard time, a Cessna 170B single-engine airplane, N3035A, impacted terrain following a loss of engine power during takeoff from the McCampbell-Porter Airport (TFP), Ingleside, Texas. The two private pilots were not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.

According to the pilot, the engine cylinders were replaced prior to the accident flight, and the purpose of the flight was to continue the cylinder break-in period after the cylinder replacement. The pilot stated that the break-in procedures called for lower cylinder head temperatures, as practical, and less than full power at the beginning of takeoff. The engine run-up and propeller check were completed during the taxi to the runway in order to keep the ground run-up to a minimum. The engine break-in procedures state the following, "Start engine, run up normally, taxi and takeoff immediately. (Minimize ground time.)"

After engine start, no anomalies were noted. During takeoff, engine power was set to 2,500 RPM. About 100 feet above ground level, the pilot slowly reduced RPM and reduced manifold pressure to about 65 percent power. Approximately 200 feet above ground level after takeoff during a shallow climb and right turn, the engine lost partial power. The engine briefly regained some power, then lost power again. The pilot executed a forced landing in mesquite tree covered terrain. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted terrain and mesquite trees. The pilot stated he believed the engine lost power due to carburetor ice.

At 1535, the TFP automated weather observing system (AWOS), reported the wind from 310 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky overcast at 4,800 feet, temperature 9 degrees Celsius, dew point 5 degrees Celsius, and altimeter setting of 30.24 inches of mercury.

After the airplane was recovered from the accident site, the engine was functionally tested at various power settings for about 5 minutes, and a magneto check was performed. No anomalies were noted during the engine functional test.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) carburetor icing probability chart showed a probability of serious icing at cruise power at the temperature and dew point reported at the time of the accident.

Contributing factors

  • cause Effect on equipment
  • Contributed to outcome

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 310/05kt, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.