About 08:15 PDT, a Piper Archer lost power while climbing to cruise altitude and was damaged in the subsequent forced landing near San Luis Obispo. The flight instructor and student pilot were uninjured. The instructor had received an instrument clearance for an IFR climb to VFR conditions on top. After reaching VFR on top, about 1,800 feet msl, the pilot reported that he applied carburetor heat to the engine. At that point, the engine rpm decreased to 1,800 and then to 1,500. The pilot descended through the cloud deck, broke out at 600 feet, and landed in an open field. Another airplane operated by the same company had recently experienced a loss of engine power and examination of that engine revealed a fibrous material contaminating the inside of the carburetor. Following this accident, the operator grounded his aircraft pending further investigation of the contamination source.
July 6, San Luis Obispo, Calif. / Piper PA28-181 Archer
About 08:15 PDT, a Piper Archer lost power while climbing to cruise altitude and was damaged in the subsequent forced landing near San Luis Obispo. The flight instructor and student pilot were uninjured. The instructor had received an instrument clearance for an IFR climb to VFR conditions on top. After reaching VFR on top, about 1,800 feet msl, the pilot reported that he applied carburetor heat to the engine. At that point, the engine rpm decreased to 1,800 and then to 1,500. The pilot descended through the cloud deck, broke out at 600 feet, and landed in an open field. Another airplane operated by the same company had recently experienced a loss of engine power and examination of that engi...
Key Takeaways:
- A Piper Archer, carrying an instructor and student, made an uninjured forced landing near San Luis Obispo after its engine lost power during an IFR climb, specifically after carburetor heat was applied.
- The engine power loss occurred immediately after applying carburetor heat, causing RPM to drop significantly and forcing a descent through clouds to an open field landing.
- This incident follows a recent, similar engine power loss in another aircraft from the same company, which was attributed to fibrous material contaminating the carburetor.
- Consequently, the operator grounded all aircraft pending further investigation into the source of the suspected carburetor contamination.
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