| Crash location | 42.629167°N, 74.891111°W |
| Nearest city | Cooperstown, NY
42.700630°N, 74.924321°W 5.2 miles away |
| Tail number | N4550M |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 26 May 2014 |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA-11 |
| Additional details: | None |
On May 26, 2014, about 1930 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-11, N4550M, was substantially damaged when it impacted a pole barn near Cooperstown, New York. The private pilot and the passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight that departed Cooperstown-Westville Airport (K23), Cooperstown, New York. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
In a statement to New York State Police, the pilot reported that after takeoff, he completed a "few" takeoffs and landings, then took a scenic flight in the vicinity of the airport. As he was preparing to land, just north of the airport about 750 feet above the ground, the pilot noticed a "considerable" loss of engine power. As in the past, he applied carburetor heat, but it was not enough to be able to climb the airplane, which was rapidly losing altitude. The pilot decided to land on the road next to the airport, but with no power, the airplane dropped over some trees and impacted a pole barn.
In a follow-up statement, the pilot noted that he was set up on a long final approach to runway 20 at K23 when the passenger asked to see a lake. The pilot climbed the airplane out to the west, then the passenger requested to see another lake to the south. The pilot changed course, and after doing so, the engine developed carburetor ice. The pilot could not clear the ice and the engine lost power. At the time, the airplane was near a ridge west of the airport at a low altitude, and the pilot felt he couldn't turn back to the airport safely, so he tried an emergency landing next to, and to the west of route 166. During the landing, the airplane's left wing impacted the power pole and spun the airplane around, which then slid backwards [into the hangar.]
According to the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane came to rest 450 feet west of K23 runway 2/20 centerline, off airport property abeam the north end of tee hangars that paralleled the runway, and across route 166, which also paralleled the runway. The airplane came to rest heading about 125 degrees magnetic.
The left wing leading edge was impact damaged, consistent with hitting a utility pole located on the west side of the road that paralleled the runway. About 4 feet above the ground, the pole exhibited damage and paint transfer the same color as the airplane. Left wing damage started just outboard the fuel tank to the tip.
From photographs, there were ground scars from the utility pole to where the airplane came to rest. The airplane came to rest up against the pole barn with the left wing down to the ground, and the right wing up against the barn. The right wing was partially penetrating a corner of the pole barn, with the leading edge outside of the barn wall, and the trailing penetrating the barn wall.
The FAA inspector also noted that the left main landing gear was bent under and aft with the left main wheel and tire assembly broken off the left axel. The carburetor and air box were broken away from the engine and the carburetor heat and throttle cables were separated. One propeller blade was bent forward slightly, while the opposite blade was bent aft; and both had leading edge tip damage. In addition, there were four ground score marks located between the utility pole and airplane consistent in appearance with propeller strikes.
The pilot also reported that, at 1800, the temperature was 24 degrees C and the dew point was 11 degrees C. At 1953, the nearest airport with recorded weather, about 40 nautical miles to the northwest, recorded the same temperature and dew point. An FAA carburetor icing probability chart indicated the probability of "serious icing at glide power," and the pilot wrote that he "should have turned on the carb heat…earlier on final."
The pilot’s delayed use of carburetor heat during the approach to landing, which resulted in the formation of carburetor ice, a partial loss of engine power, and the airplane’s subsequent inability to sustain flight.