Takeoff & Initial Climb · NTSB CEN15FA088
PIPER PA 23-160 — Port Clinton, OH
| Date | December 29, 2014 |
| Location | Port Clinton, OH |
| Aircraft | PIPER PA 23-160 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Initial climb Loss of control in flight |
| Pilot age | 60 |
| Pilot total time | 675 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 165 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-(general)-Not specified - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Not specified
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
What happened
The pilot was departing on a cross-country flight in the twin-engine airplane. A witness stated that before takeoff, the pilot spent about 20 minutes in the run-up area. As the airplane departed the runway, witnesses heard a "popping" noise come from the airplane. The airplane struggled to gain altitude, and one witness stated it appeared to have a problem with the left engine. The airplane turned left and descended. A review of a security camera video showed that the airplane turned left after takeoff, entered a rapid nose-down descent, and impacted terrain.
A small amount of water was found in the left engine's carburetor; however, firefighter response efforts could not be eliminated as a potential source for the water. Based on the weather conditions at the time of the accident, the airplane was operating in an area associated with a risk of carburetor ice accumulation at glide and cruise power settings, but not at takeoff power settings. Witness reports and findings from the investigation are consistent with a loss of control following a loss of left engine power; however, the examination of the airframe and engines did not reveal evidence of any preimpact abnormalities.