Mechanical & Engine Failure · NTSB CHI08FAMS2
PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA-28-161 — Vik
| Date | February 21, 2008 |
| Location | Vik |
| Aircraft | PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA-28-161 |
| Purpose of flight | Ferry |
| Conditions | Day |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute-descent Loss of engine power (total) |
| Pilot age | 67 |
| Pilot total time | 26,860 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to structural icing-Effect on equipment - F
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to structural icing-Decision related to condition - C
What happened
The pilot was asked by a ferry company representative to delay his flight until the icing weather had cleared from the route of flight. The pilot was handed a weather briefing by a dispatcher during the pilot’s preflight weather briefing. The briefing included the significant low level weather chart indicating icing from 7,000 above mean sea level. The pilot reportedly elected to depart on the day of the accident flight. During the ferry flight over the Atlantic Ocean, the pilot relayed through other aircraft to air traffic control that he encountered icing and a loss of engine power. The pilot descended from his cruise flight level of 11,000 feet above mean sea level. An emergency locater transmitter signal associated with the airplane was detected by a satellite in the area. Search and rescue operations did not locate the airplane or pilot.