HARBOR BEACH — A pilot who treaded water for 18 hours after his airplane crashed into Lake Huron failed to recognize the signs of carburetor icing, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Michael W. Trapp, 42, was hospitalized for several days after the July 26 crash off Harbor Beach.
Trapp, of Gouverneur, N.Y., had planned to refuel at Huron County Memorial Airport and was approaching Bad Axe about 4 p.m. when his 1966 Cessna 150 began to lose engine power at an altitude of about 3,000 feet, east of Harbor Beach, federal investigators said.
Trapp, who was flying alone, was bound for Chippewa Falls, Wis..
The report indicates that Trapp first suspected a fuel problem but attempts to correct the problem failed.
By the time Trapp applied carburetor heat, the airplane was about 100 feet above the water and 15 to 17 miles off shore, investigators state.
Trapp contacted Lansing Flight Service, providing them with his location and informing them he would have to ditch the plane. The aircraft sank and remains submerged in 210 feet of water, according to the NTSB report.
Investigators say weather conditions -- 73-degree temperature and 57-degree dewpoint -- were conductive to “serious icing at glide power.”
“The pilot reported he ... should have applied the carburetor heat sooner,” the report states.
About 10:30 a.m., a crew aboard the Eagles Nest, a 58-foot Viking out of Grosse Pointe Farms, rescued Trapp. He was about two miles offshore and 10 miles south of Harbor Beach.
Trapp was in the water from about 5 p.m. Tuesday until 10:30 a.m. Wednesday when he was picked up about 2 miles offshore and 10 miles south of Harbor Beach Harbor, by "Eagles Nest," a 58' Viking out of Grosse Pointe Farms, who then notified officials.
The pilot stated that while crossing Lake Huron at an altitude of 3,000 feet, the engine began to lose power. The pilot contacted flight watch and informed them of the situation. He moved the fuel selector handle and enriched the fuel mixture to no avail. The pilot stated he applied carburetor heat, moved the throttle, and fuel selector switch again, but by this time he was about 100 feet above the water and 15 to 17 miles off shore. He contacted flight watch again to provide a position update and to tell them he was ditching in the lake. The pilot stated that engine power was regained just prior to the airplane contacting the water; however, by that time he was unable to avoid the ditching. The pilot exited the airplane which sank soon after contacting the water. The pilot was able to tread water for approximately 18 hours prior to be picked up by a pleasure boat. The pilot was hospitalized for several days following the accident. The airplane remains at the bottom of Lake Huron in about 210 feet of water. The outside air temperature was 73 degrees Fahrenheit and the dew point was 57 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the FAA Icing Probability Chart, these conditions were conducive for serious icing at glide power. The pilot reported he did not recognize the symptoms of carburetor ice and that he should have applied the carburetor heat sooner.
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