Piper PA-18-150 accident near Canton, Georgia, November 13, 2012
On November 13, 2012 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N9764P, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Canton, Georgia. 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
A partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing, which the pilot could not correct by applying carburetor heat because the movement of the carburetor heat control arm was restricted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 2012 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Canton, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N9764P · no longer on the register · serial 18-7709004
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After performing maneuvers at 2,500 feet mean sea level (msl), the pilot was descending to 2,000 feet msl when the airplane’s airspeed and engine rpm began to decrease. The pilot checked the throttle position, mixture control position, fuel selector, and magneto selection, and cycled the carburetor heat, but was unable to regain full engine power. He landed the airplane in a nearby field, and during the landing roll, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to rudder and vertical stabilizer. A postaccident examination revealed that a hole was worn in the lower section of the engine cowl and that the carburetor heat control arm did not have sufficient clearance from the lower engine cowl in that area. When the carburetor heat was activated, the carburetor heat control arm contacted and caught on the cowl, which limited the application of carburetor heat. Thus, during the accident flight the lower engine cowl inhibited the movement of the carburetor heat control arm because of inadequate clearances. Because the temperature and dew point around the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of carburetor ice at cruise/glide power, it is likely that the engine lost partial power as a result of carburetor icing. The pilot was unable to apply full carburetor heat due to the limited movement of the carburetor heat control arm, and therefore was unable to regain full engine 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 (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › (general) › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,500 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 3, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,035 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 20, 2012
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bigfoot Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: 5GA4 Woodstock GA at 9:50 pm
- Destination: 5GA4 Woodstock GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 pm from CNI, 12 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
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.
Other NTSB records under N9764P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.