Saturday, October 06, 2012

Moulton Howard Wells ULTRA-PUP BY PRECPTR, N3073X: Accident occurred October 06, 2012 in Lyman, Maine

NTSB Identification: ERA13CA010 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, October 06, 2012 in Lyman, ME
Probable Cause Approval Date: 03/13/2013
Aircraft: MOULTON HOWARD WELLS ULTRA-PUP, registration: N3073X
Injuries: 2 Minor.

NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.

About 20 minutes into the cross-country flight, the pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane detected a vibration of the airplane’s engine that “didn’t sound good,” and noticed a drop in the rpm of the automotive-conversion engine. He immediately applied carburetor heat, but the engine continued to lose power until the airplane could no longer maintain altitude and began to descend from its cruise altitude of 1,500 feet above ground level. The pilot performed a forced landing into the trees below, substantially damaging the airplane’s fuselage, wings, and empennage. Postaccident examination of the airplane, its engine, and its fuel system revealed no evidence of preimpact malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Although the fuel system was compromised by impact damage, the fuel that remained in the system was absent of contamination. According to a carburetor icing probability chart published by the Federal Aviation Administration, the temperature and dew point reported at an airport located about 6 nautical miles from the accident site were conducive to “serious icing at cruise power.”

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

The accumulation of ice in the automotive engine’s carburetor, which resulted in a loss of engine power.

About 20 minutes into the cross-country flight, the pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane detected a vibration of the airplane’s engine that “didn’t sound good,” and noticed a drop in the rpm of the automotive-conversion engine. He immediately applied carburetor heat, but the engine continued to lose power until the airplane could no longer maintain altitude and began to descend from its cruise altitude of 1,500 feet agl. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to the trees below, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage, wings, and empennage. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the wreckage at the accident scene, found no anomalies associated with the airplane’s fuel system, and noted that the fuel remaining was absent of any contamination. A subsequent examination of the engine was also unable to note any obvious mechanical deficiencies of the engine. The temperature and dew point reported at an airport located about 6 nautical miles from the accident site were conducive to “serious icing at cruise power,” according to a carburetor icing probability chart published by the FAA. Following the accident, the pilot stated he believed that the airplane’s custom carburetor heat system may not have possessed an adequate heating capacity to recover from an encounter with carburetor icing.


IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 3073X        Make/Model: EXP       Description: EXP- ULTRA PUP
  Date: 10/06/2012     Time: 1243

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Minor     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: LYMAN   State: ME   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT LOST POWER AND CRASHED INTO TREES.  LYMAN, ME

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   1     Unk:    
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   1     Unk:    
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  FAA FSDO: PORTLAND, ME  (EA65)                  Entry date: 10/09/2012
 
http://registry.faa.gov/N3073X




LYMAN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Two people were injured when an ultralight plane crashed in the woods off of Beech Street in Lyman Saturday morning.

The Lyman Fire Department says two people were in the plane when it crashed just before 9 a.m. Saturday.  The pilot and passenger were taken to Southern Maine Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries.  Their identities have not been released.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson says the plane had taken off from Eliot and was headed to Wiscasset.  The plane developed an engine problem and the pilot attempted to divert it to Sanford.

The FAA is continuing to investigate the cause of the crash.  All nearby roads remain open to traffic as the investigation continues. 


http://www.wcsh6.com


LYMAN, Maine (AP) — Two people have suffered minor injuries in a small plane crash in Lyman, Maine. 

 The crash was reported at about 8:45 a.m. Saturday.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Jim Peters said the home-built plane had taken off from Eliot in the western part of the state and was headed to Wiscasset, northeast of Portland.

Peters said the plane developed an engine problem and the pilot tried to divert it to Sanford.

The two people on board were taken Southern Maine Medical Center.

http://www.boston.com

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