Accident Summary
On April 20, 2023, at approximately 1005 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-181 airplane, registration N419W, sustained substantial damage during an accident near Flint Township, Michigan. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Pilot Account
According to the pilot, the airplane had about 34 gallons of fuel before departure from Ann Arbor Municipal Airport (ARB), Michigan. The planned itinerary was a short cross-country to two different airports, with a return to ARB. Due to weather concerns, the pilot contacted air traffic control and requested to perform the option at Bishop International Airport (FNT) in Flint, Michigan, before returning to ARB. While on a 1-mile final approach to FNT, at approximately 500 ft above ground level, the engine lost total power. An attempt to restart the engine was unsuccessful. Unable to reach the runway, the pilot executed a forced landing on a railroad track. During the landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the engine mount. The pilot noted that he did not use carburetor heat during the approach.
Postaccident Examination
Postaccident examination revealed that both magnetos produced spark on all spark plugs. Thumb compression and suction were present on all cylinders when the propeller was manually rotated. The carburetor, venturi, and throttle valve were intact with no anomalies observed. The oil filter was clear of contaminants.
Weather Conditions
A review of local meteorological data indicated that at the time of the accident, the airplane was operating in conditions conducive to serious carburetor icing at any power setting. Federal Aviation Administration Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (CE-09-35) – Carburetor Icing Prevention, notes that carburetor icing can occur at temperatures above freezing when visible moisture or high humidity exists, due to the cooling effect from fuel vaporization and air expansion in the carburetor. Signs of carburetor ice include a drop in RPM for fixed-pitch propeller airplanes and a drop in manifold pressure for constant-speed propeller airplanes, often accompanied by engine roughness.