Amateur-built ACRO SPORT accident near Madison, New Hampshire, October 15, 2008
On October 15, 2008 at about 8:00 pm local time, a amateur-built ACRO SPORT, registered N896JC, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Madison, New Hampshire. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to carburetor icing as a result of the pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 2008 · about 8:00 pm local time · cases in 2008
- Place
- Madison, New Hampshire · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ACRO SPORT
- Registration
- N896JC · no longer on the register · serial 689
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Approximately 50 minutes into the experimental amateur built airplane flight, the pilot began his descent from 1500 feet for landing when the engine lost partial power. He adjusted the throttle, mixture, and carburetor heat but the engine power setting went to idle and remained there. The pilot attempted to land in a field; however, the airplane’s altitude was insufficient to make the field and he landed into trees. The pilot noticed no discrepancies with the engine or engine controls prior to the partial loss of engine power. Federal Aviation Administration examination of the airplane and the engine found no evidence of any pre-accident anomalies that would have caused the partial loss of engine power. Review of the carburetor icing probability chart contained in FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) CE-09-35 revealed “serious icing” at glide power for the temperature and dew point recorded at the nearest official weather reporting facility about the time of the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Fuel related during enroute (descent)
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (descent) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › (general) › Not used/operated other cases naming the engine
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 230 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 5, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 712 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 11, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 1,520 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NH69 West Ossipee NH at 7:10 pm
- Destination: NH69 West Ossipee NH
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from KIZG, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on March 8, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Examination | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Carb Icing Chart | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Carb Ice Advisory Circular | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N896JC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N896JC: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SERIES 1,067 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Windsock Village Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New Hampshire 393 since 1982 · 57 in the last ten years
- New Hampshire 1,560 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N896JC 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA09LA021.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.