Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
NTSB Identification: CEN12LA049
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, October 29, 2011 in Vienna, OH
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/12/2013
Aircraft: BROCHETTI LOUIS PIETENPOL AIRCAMPER, registration: N486LB
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The experimental amateur-built airplane impacted trees and terrain after a loss of engine power during takeoff. The pilot reported that the initial takeoff roll was normal and described the subsequent loss of power during the climb as gradual and continuing. Although postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that one of the engine's spark plug wire terminals was not attached to its respective spark plug, the pilot’s description of a gradual power loss during the climb was not consistent with a spark plug wire detachment, which would have resulted in a rapid loss of power. According to a Federal Aviation Administration carburetor icing chart, the temperature and dew point at the time of the accident were conducive to carburetor icing. The pilot attributed the loss of engine power to carburetor ice. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the spark plug wire became dislodged from the spark plug during the impact sequence, and the loss of engine power was a result of carburetor icing.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The loss of engine power during climb after takeoff due to carburetor icing.
On October 29, 2011, about 1646 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Brochetti Pietenpol Aircamper, N486LB, impacted trees and terrain following a loss of engine power on takeoff. The airplane was departing from the Smith-Stewart Field Airport (79OH), Vienna, Ohio. The pilot received serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to it's wings and fuselage. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not on a flight plan. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and the intended destination was the Warren Airport (62D), Warren, Ohio.
The pilot reported that the airplane had not been flown in the previous three to four weeks and that it had rained on the morning of the accident flight. He stated that he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane and found no anomalies. During the preflight inspection fuel was drained from each of the fuel tanks but was not collected for visual inspection. The pilot stated that the engine start and taxi were normal. He reported that the airplane lifted off during takeoff as expected but then would not climb as expected. The airplane subsequently impacted trees at the end of the runway.
At 1651, the recorded temperature and dew point at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, about 4 miles north of the accident site, were 5 degrees Celsius, and 0 degrees Celsius, respectively. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) CE-09-35, the temperature and dew point were in the range for serious carburetor icing potential.
In his report, the pilot surmised that carburetor icing or contaminated fuel may have contributed to the loss of engine power.
Postaccident examination of the airplane by FAA inspectors revealed that one of the engine's spark plug wire terminals was not attached to its respective spark plug. No other evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation were found.
NTSB Identification: CEN12LA049
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, October 29, 2011 in Vienna, OH
Aircraft: BROCHETTI LOUIS PIETENPOL AIRCAMPER, registration: N486LB
Injuries: 1 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On October 29, 2011, about 1646 eastern daylight time, an Experimental amateur-built Brochetti Pietenpol Aircamper, N486LB, impacted trees and terrain while returning to land following a loss of engine power. The airplane had just taken off from Smith-Stewart Field Airport (79OH), Vienna, Ohio. The pilot received serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to it's wings and fuselage. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not on a flight plan. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.
Jeffrey Jardine fills out a witness report Saturday evening after his friend's experimental 1990 Pieton Pole Air Camper crashed shortly after takeoff in Vienna Township. The pilot, Ronald Catchpole, 54, of King Graves Road, was taken from the scene in serious condition.
A homemade plane crashed onto a creek bed here soon after it took off from a private air field Saturday, seriously injuring the pilot.
Ronald Catchpole, 54, of King Graves Road, was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center after the crash, shortly before 5 p.m. behind a home at 2260 Pleasant Valley Road, said Lt. Brian Holt of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Catchpole was flying a 1990 Pietenpol Aircamper, a small plane with an open cockpit that owners assemble at home, police and witnesses said. He had just taken off from Price Field, at the top of a hill above the crash site, when he apparently developed engine trouble. He made it to the tree tops along the creek before crashing.
Holt said Catchpole was stable and conscious when he was taken from the crash site.
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The small community of Vienna township in Trumbull County was shaken up today after a small plane crashed into a wooded area. The plane went down at around 5:00 Saturday afternoon. The pilot 54-year-old Ronald B. Catchpole of Warren was trapped inside, but has been rescued and taken to St. Elizabeth's Hospital for treatment.
Witnesses say Mr. Catchpole gained altitude off the runway from the Price Air Field, also known as the Smith-Stewart Field, when the aircraft immediantely began to lose power just after clearing the runway. The aircraft went into a wooded area, crashing into a creek.
Hazmat crews were called after 13 gallons of aviation fuel leaked into the creek. The Southington Post of The Ohio State Highway Patrol is still investigating.
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It went down around 5 p.m. at 2243 Pleasant Valley Road. Witnesses say the pilot was trapped inside the wrecked plane, but has since been rescued and taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital for treatment.
Officials said 13 gallons of aviation fuel leaked from the plane into a nearby creek, and a HazMat team is on the way to the location to gain control of the situation.
It appears the plane is a kit-built Pietenpol Air Camper. It is considered an experimental aircraft.
Vienna fire, police and the Ohio State Highway Patrol are also at the scene.
