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September 14, 2016 · Stinson V77 NO Series · N715FB

Jordan, MN

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
September 14, 2016
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (1 uninjured)
Location
Jordan, MN
Aircraft
Stinson V77 NO Series (1944)
Tail Number
N715FB
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
CEN16LA369

The pilot was conducting a personal flight to break in the recently overhauled engine. After about 30 minutes, when the airplane was about 2,000 ft above ground level, the engine started to backfire and lose power. The pilot attempted to troubleshoot the problem by switching fuel tanks; adjusting the engine throttle, mixture, and propeller controls; and selecting the individual magneto positions, to no avail. He performed an emergency landing to a soft field; the airplane subsequently nosed over during the landing roll, and the rudder sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examinations of the airframe, engine, and magnetos found no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at cruise power. Thus, it is likely that the engine lost power due to serious carburetor icing.

NTSB Probable Cause

Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Ability to respond/compensate

Full Narrative

On September 14, 2016 about 0910 central daylight time (CDT), a Stinson V-77 airplane, N715FB, was substantially damaged during an accident near East Jordan, Minnesota. The airline transport pilot was not injured. The airplane was privately registered and operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight departed South St. Paul Municipal Airport-Richard E Fleming Field (SGS), Minnesota, about 0820. The pilot was conducting the flight to put additional break-in hours on a newly-installed engine. The engine had about 10 total hrs since overhaul and 2 hrs since the last inspection at the time of the accident. About 30 minutes after take off, and at 2,000 ft above the ground (AGL), the engine started to constantly backfire and lost power. The airplane was unable to maintain level flight due to the power loss. The pilot attempted to regain engine power; he switched fuel tanks, adjusted the engine throttle, fuel/ air mixture, and propeller controls, and selected the individual magneto positions. There was no subsequent increase of engine power or reduction of backfiring. The pilot performed an emergency landing to a soft field where the airplane nosed over during landing. The rudder sustained substantial damage. An on-scene examination of the airplane by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the fuel selector was in the left tank position, the magneto switch was in the "BOTH" position, the primer was in and locked, the mixture was in the "RICH" position, the throttle was in the "CLOSED" position, and the propeller control was approximately ¼ back from the full-forward position. An additional examination was conducted by the FAA inspector on October 5, 2016. The Bendix dual magneto timing was 34º before top-dead center (BTC) on the left and 30º BTC on the right. All spark plug leads were tight and in like-new condition. The magneto switch was checked and appeared to operate normally. Magneto lead continuity was confirmed. The magneto points were checked while rotating the propeller and they opened normally. Both magnetos sparked. Both coils appeared to have a good spark. The magneto was removed and bench tested. No anomalies were noted with the magneto. The fuel system was examined and small amounts of liquid consistent with 100LL fuel were recovered from the carburetor bowl and the airframe gascolator. The carburetor was examined and no anomalies were noted. No pre-impact anomalies were noted with the airframe or engine that would have contributed to a partial loss of power. The pilot reported a temperature of 50° F at the time of the accident. He did not know the dewpoint at the accident location. At 0853, the temperature and dewpoint at Minneapolis-St. Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport (MSP), Minneapolis, Minnesota, located 25 miles northeast of the accident site, were reported as 54° F and 45° F respectfully at 0853. According to the carburetor icing probability chart in FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, these conditions were conducive to serious icing at cruise power.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time09:10 CDT
Nearest Airport0nm
Flight Plan FiledNone
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftStinson V77 NO Series
Tail NumberN715FB
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsLycoming · R680-13 · Reciprocating · 300
Seats3

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (1 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured1
Total1
Crew 1Age 60 · Third Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind30° @ 3 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point54 / 45 C
Altimeter30.34 inHg
Observation Time13:53
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data