BURLINGTON, WI, USA
N395AC
Bellanca 8GCBC
The pilot said that he was in a visual descent to land when the airplane's engine lost most of its power. The pilot applied carburetor heat, but the engine lost more power. The pilot elected to perform an emergency landing on a lake. The pilot said that the lake was not long enough to stop the airplane before coming in contact with the shore. Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. Weather conditions reported at Kenosha, Wisconsin, 14 miles east-southeast of the accident site were overcast ceiling of 200 feet, 1 mile visibility, temperature 52 degrees Fahrenheit, and dew point 52 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration/CT-82/44 Publication: Light Aircraft Piston Engine Carburetor Ice Detector/Warning Device Sensitivity/ Effectiveness, June 1982, Carburetor Icing Probability Chart; these conditions places the probability for carburetor icing in the 'serious icing at cruise power' area of the chart.
On December 4, 1998, at 1225 central standard time (cst), a Bellanca 8GCBC, N395AC, operated by a commercial pilot, lost engine power while the airplane was in cruise flight. During the subsequent forced landing to a lake, the airplane was substantially damaged when it skipped off of the water and impacted into trees which lined the shore. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. There was no flight plan on file. The pilot reported no injuries. The cross-country flight originated at Rochester, Indiana, at 1100 cst, and was en route to Rochester, Wisconsin. In his written statement, the pilot said that he was in a visual descent to land at the Fox River Airport, Rochester, Wisconsin, when the airplane's engine lost most of its power. The pilot said that he applied carburetor heat, but the engine lost more power. The pilot elected to perform an emergency landing on an unknown lake. The pilot said that the lake was not long enough to stop the airplane before coming in contact with the shore. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane at the accident site. The airplane was resting upright in a wooded area approximately 20 feet inland from the shore of a small lake. The airplane's right wing was bent aft and the trailing edge was twisted downward. The right rear cabin window was broken inward. The airplane's left wing was bent aft. The outboard 2 feet of the left wing and wing tip were bent upward approximately 40 degrees. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Examination of the airplane's engine, engine controls, and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies. Weather conditions reported at Kenosha, Wisconsin, 14 miles east- southeast of the accident site, at 1129 cst, were overcast ceiling of 200 feet, 1 mile visibility, temperature 52 degrees Fahrenheit, and dew point 52 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration/ CT-82/44 Publication: Light Aircraft Piston Engine Carburetor Ice Detector/Warning Device Sensitivity/Effectiveness, June 1982, Carburetor Icing Probability Chart; these conditions places the probability for carburetor icing in the "serious icing at cruise power" area of the chart.
Carburetor ice, the pilot's inadequate pre-flight planning/preparation resulting in his flight into poor weather conditions, and the pilot's improper use of carburetor heat. Factors contributing to this accident were the carburetor icing conditions, the rising embankment at the shoreline and the trees.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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