Event CEN24LA076

Factual narrative

On December 29, 2023, about 1200 central standard time, a Piper PA-18A 150 airplane, N2774P, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Vermillion, South Dakota. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, the airplane was on final for runway 30 at the Harold Davidson Field Airport, when the engine lost total power. The pilot said the airplane did not have enough altitude for him to correct for the sudden power loss, so he performed a forced landing to a flat, snow-covered field short of the runway. During the forced landing, the airplane nosed over and sustained damage to the left forward lift strut. During the recovery of the airplane, snow discoloration consistent with fuel staining was observed around the area of the fuel caps. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed fuel was present in the fuel lines, and no mechanical anomaly or failure was identified that would have precluded normal operation. Based on information obtained from a review of weather model data for the area, the weather reported near the accident site at the time of the accident included a temperature of -2.6°C and a dew point of -6.9°C. The calculated relative humidity at this temperature and dewpoint was 72.3%. Review of the icing probability chart contained within FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 revealed the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of carburetor icing at glide and cruise power. The pilot stated that he used carburetor heat from power reduction on downwind but turned it off during the base leg. Carburetor icing most likely formed during final descent for landing. According to the carburetor probability icing chart, conditions for carburetor icing at glide power were present. According to the pilot, the airplane was on final approach for landing at the destination airport when the engine lost total power, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a flat snow-covered field short of the runway. During the forced landing, the airplane nosed over and sustained damage to the left forward lift strut. During the recovery of the airplane, snow discoloration consistent with fuel staining was observed around the area of the fuel caps. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed fuel was present in the fuel lines, and no mechanical anomaly or failure was identified that would have precluded normal operation. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of carburetor icing at glide power. Although the pilot stated that he used carburetor heat from power reduction on downwind, he turned it off during the base leg. Thus, carburetor icing likely formed during final descent for landing. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Effect on equipment
• — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Ice/rain protection system-Intake anti-ice, deice-Not used/operated
• — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot