19 Jan 2019: Stinson 108 1

19 Jan 2019: Stinson 108 1 (N97969) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Keshena, WI, United States

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power during cruise flight for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a forced landing and subsequent impact with trees.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On January 19, 2019, about 1125 central standard time, a Stinson 108-1, N97969, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident on the Menominee Indian Reservation near Keshena, Wisconsin. The private pilot sustained serious injuries and the three passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that the purpose of the personal flight was to travel to Ford Airport (IMT), Iron Mountain, Michigan. The airplane had 26 gallons of fuel onboard prior to departure. While in cruise flight, the engine sustained a momentary and substantial loss of rpm. The pilot reported that cruise power settings was about 2,300 rpm and the rpm needle decreased down to about 1,500 rpm. The pilot applied the mixture to the full rich position, activated the carburetor heat, and switched to the right fuel tank. The engine recovered and the pilot left the carburetor heat on for about three minutes and then slowly turned it off. About two minutes after the carburetor heat was turned off, the engine ceased producing power. The pilot reported the propeller did not windmill after the loss of engine power. The pilot activated the starter and it did not engage. The pilot observed an asphalt road surrounded by trees on both sides where he decided to execute a forced landing. During the landing, the airplane impacted the trees and bounced on the road, coming to rest upside down on a snow-covered embankment. The occupants were able to egress without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and the empennage. A postaccident examination of the engine by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The temperature and dewpoint at the time of the accident were not conducive for the formation of carburetor icing per the carburetor icing probability graph from the FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 Carburetor Icing Prevention. Although requested, the pilot did not submit the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1.

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 020/07kt, 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.