NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DEN89LA181
Registry · N8246H
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CALLAIR A-9
Year of manufacture
1965 · 24 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-540 SER (300 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19970725
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB42E9
Registrant of record
LAKE ELSINORE SOARING CLUB
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER DUE TO AN IMPROPERLY ADJUSTED CARBURETOR WHICH RESULTED IN AN EXCESSIVE RICH FUEL-AIR MIXTURE. THIS REQUIRED A FORCED LANDING IN AN AREA WHERE NO SUITABLE TERRAIN EXISTED.
Factual narrative
THE PILOT WAS SPRAYING THIOLUX ON A FIELD AND HAD JUST PULLED UP FROM SWATH RUN WHEN HE HEARD A LOUD BANG AND NOTED ENGINE RPM DECAY. GROUND WITNESSES ALSO HEARD THE BANG AND OBSERVED DARK SMOKE TRAILING FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN AN ALFALFA FIELD. THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED, RESULTING IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. A SMALL CARBURETOR FIRE WAS ALSO EXTINGUISHED. THE ENGINE AND CARBURETOR WERE PARTIALLY DISASSEMBLED. EVIDENCE OF AN EXTREMELY RICH MIXTURE, BACKFIRE, AND CARBURETOR FIRE WAS FOUND. ALL THE SPARK PLUGS WERE BLACK. THE CARBURETOR WAS OVERHAULED IN 1987 BECAUSE THE ENGINE RAN ROUGH AND WOULD NOT DEVELOP FULL POWER, REGARDLESS OF MIXTURE CONTROL SETTING. THE CARBURETOR HAD ACCUMULATED 300 HOURS SINCE OVERHAUL. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_DEN89LA181.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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