Amateur-built DSA-4 accident near Hernando, Florida, November 27, 2011
On November 27, 2011 at about 9:40 pm local time, a amateur-built DSA-4, registered N1321, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Hernando, Florida. It was a personal 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 apply carburetor heat while descending in conditions conducive to carburetor icing, which resulted in carburetor icing and a subsequent total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 27, 2011 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Hernando, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DSA-4
- Registration
- N1321 · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane had descended from about 1,600 feet to about 800 feet when the pilot/owner increased the throttle to initiate a climb. The engine began to run roughly, the pilot applied carburetor heat, the engine speed decreased to 2,000 rpm, and the airplane descended. Approximately 10 seconds later, about 500 feet agl, the engine stopped producing power and the propeller stopped. The pilot conducted a forced landing in a wildlife preserve, where the airplane rolled an estimated 40 feet, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The accident airplane was one in a flight of two. The second airplane orbited the site until emergency services arrived. According to the owner of the second airplane, he too serviced his airplane at the same time and from the same vendor as the accident airplane and experienced no fuel-related problems. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preaccident anomalies that would preclude normal operation. The engine started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously without interruption. According to an Federal Aviation Administration carburetor icing probability chart, the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to 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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
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 fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,634 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 359 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2011
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 4AC176C-D-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Courtesy Cruiser INC
The flight
- Departed from: X35 Dunnellon FL at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 5FL7 Hernando FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from OCF, 14 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.