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14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, December 07, 2006 in Falcon, CO
Probable Cause Approval Date: 3/26/2007
Aircraft: Piper PA-28-180, registration: N6487J
Injuries: 1 Minor.
According to the pilot, he was established on a base leg for runway 15 when the engine lost power. The pilot lined up with an adjacent road and continued for a forced landing. The pilot stated that prior to the landing he checked his carburetor heat, mixture, throttle, and magnetos in attempt to troubleshoot the power loss. He stated that he observed car lights and "swerved into [the] tree." The airplane became lodged in the tree, resulting in substantial damage. An examination of the engine and related systems revealed no anomalies. The routine aviation weather report reported, temperature minus 01 degrees Celsius (C); dewpoint, minus 05 degrees C. According to the carburetor icing probability chart conditions were conducive for "serious icing at glide power" and "serious icing at cruise power."
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
loss of power due to carburetor icing. Contributing factors were weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing, unsuitable terrain available on which to make a forced landing and the tree.
