No fatalities

29 Feb 2020: Piper PA18 150 — Big Lake, AK

Big Lake, AK, United States

On 29 Feb 2020, a Piper PA18 150 was involved in an aviation accident near Big Lake, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to use carburetor heat in conditions conducive to carburetor icing, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power, a precautionary landing, and impact with snow. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported losing engine power after turning off carburetor heat during takeoff following a touch-and-go landing. Unable to regain power, a precautionary landing resulted in a runway excursion and nose-over onto unmaintained snow.

Incident Report

During touch-and-go maneuvers, the pilot applied carburetor heat for the second landing. After that landing, during the subsequent takeoff, the pilot turned off the carburetor heat and applied full power. Once airborne, the airplane began to lose engine power. The pilot manipulated the throttle and carburetor heat levers but could not restore power. Deciding to make a precautionary landing straight ahead with partial engine power, the pilot aimed for the remaining runway. However, during the landing, the airplane departed the end of the runway, encountered unmaintained snow, and nosed over.

Damage Assessment

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing lift strut and the empennage.

Post-Accident Examination

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a post-accident engine examination and test run. The examination revealed no malfunctions or failures.

Pilot Comments

Due to the closest weather observation station being 8 miles from the accident airport, the exact probability of carburetor icing could not be calculated. However, the pilot stated that during landing, there was about 3 inches of fresh snow on the runway. The pilot believed that propeller wash likely introduced snow into the engine intake, which created carburetor ice. The pilot added that he should have left the carburetor heat on longer after the second landing.

Contributing factors

PilotNot used/operatedEffect on operation