Piper PA-25-235 accident near Westerly, Rhode Island, July 4, 2009
On July 4, 2009 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N4898Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Westerly, Rhode Island (Westerly State airport). It was a banner-towing flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to use carburetor heat resulting in a complete loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2009 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Westerly, Rhode Island · Westerly State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N4898Y · registry record · serial 25-4706
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Banner-towing flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercially-rated pilot flew the accident airplane for almost 4 hours on a banner-tow flight earlier on the day of the accident. He landed, refueled the airplane, detected some water in the fuel strainer sample, and sampled that until no more water was obtained. He then departed on the accident flight, which was another banner-tow mission. That flight lasted about 3 hours. When the airplane was inbound to, and approximately 2 miles from the home airport, and at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet, the engine lost all power. The pilot described the power loss as "smooth," with no roughness or stumbling. He initially diverted for a golf course, enriched the mixture, applied carburetor heat, and attempted to re-start the engine. The engine did not re-start, and the pilot jettisoned the banner and steered for another emergency landing site that was closer. The airplane was substantially damaged during the landing and rollout. The airplane was equipped with a main fuel tank and an auxiliary fuel tank. Fuel could only be supplied to the engine from the main tank, and a manually-controlled pump was used to pump fuel from the auxiliary tank to the main tank. Only the main tank was equipped with a fuel gauge, and due to the opacity of its enclosure, the gauge was unreadable. Due to conflicting witness reports, the amount and distribution of the fuel on board at the time of the power loss and accident was not able to be definitively determined. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors found an unspecified amount of fuel in the carburetor bowl, and obtained a total of about 1/2 ounce of water from the carburetor bowl and the fuel strainer. They did not observe any mechanical conditions or problems that could have resulted in the engine power loss. The inspectors added fuel to the airplane, and the engine started and ran normally. According to carburetor ice envelope charts, the temperature and dew point values for the approximate time and location of the power loss were such that the airplane was operating in the region denoted as "Serious Icing at Glide Power."
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel quantity indicator › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Intake anti › ice, deice › Not used/operated
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,334 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 1,316 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 3, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,183 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 2008; 119 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WST Westerly RI at 4:20 pm
- Destination: WST Westerly RI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from WST, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.