Ice in the carburettor has been pin pointed as the likely cause of a near disastrous crash when the engine of a light aircraft stopped at just 150 ft above the ground after taking off from Nottingham City Airport.
The 1974 built Grumman Traveller was on a training flight on the morning of January 30 this year when the drama occurred at the Tollerton site.
Nottinghamshire Police, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue and East Midlands Ambulance Service were all called to the scene.
The instructor took control from the student the moment the engine failed and piloted it away from local houses to crash land in a field next to the airport.
As the white orange and brown four seater touched down on the soft surface of the field the nose and left main landing gear detached from theaircraft. Both wings also sustained damage.
Picture shows the aftermath of light aircraft crash in Nottinghamshire
Despite the traumatic landing and the damage to the aircraft though both occupants walked away from the crash uninjured.
Now a newly published Air Accident Investigation Branch report into the incident says the likely cause was ice forming in the carburettor.
This is a known hazard with light aircraft and they are equipped to periodically apply heat to the carburettor before take-off, during flight and when landing to avoid it.
The report says that the pilot and instructor had been aware of the danger and had taken all possible precautions against it.
The report says: “The aircraft was taxied for departure and the student carried out his power checks at the end of Runway 21. As part of this check, he selected carburettor heat and a drop in engine rpm was observed indicating the proper functioning of the carburettor heat system.
“A further check was then made on the airfield conditions with ATC and, during this period, carburettor heat was selected. The student then reselected carburettor heat at 2,000 rpm, whilst he checked the engine temperatures and pressures, before setting full power for takeoff. The takeoff progressed normally until passing 150 ft when the engine made two popping sounds and the engine rpm rapidly reduced to zero.”
The report continues : “Despite the extensive use of carburettor heat, the instructor considered that carburettor icing may have caused the engine to stop but he could not rule out other possible causes.”
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