Piper PA-11 accident near Cooperstown, New York, May 26, 2014
On May 26, 2014 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 1949 Piper PA-11, registered N4550M, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Cooperstown, New York (Cooperstown-Westville airport). 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 pilot’s delayed use of carburetor heat during the approach to landing, which resulted in the formation of carburetor ice, a partial loss of engine power, and the airplane’s subsequent inability to sustain flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 2014 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 2014
- Place
- Cooperstown, New York · Cooperstown-Westville · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-11, built 1949 · all PA-11s on the register
- Registration
- N4550M · registry record · serial 11-1009
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he completed several takeoffs and landings and then made a scenic flight in the vicinity of the airport. As he was preparing to land, the pilot noticed a "considerable" loss of engine power, which he attributed to carburetor ice. As in the past, he applied carburetor heat, but the airplane would not climb and it was rapidly losing altitude. The pilot decided to land on the road next to the airport, but, with the loss of engine power, the airplane "dropped" over some trees and impacted a power pole. The airplane then spun around and collided with a pole barn. Ground slash marks and propeller blade leading edge damage indicated that the engine was still under partial power when the airplane hit the ground. The pilot did not note any preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A Federal Aviation Administration carburetor icing probability chart indicated the probability of "serious icing at glide power." The pilot stated that he should have applied carburetor heat earlier in the approach.
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 maneuvering 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
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Related operating info other cases naming the engine
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 1,247 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 1,350 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 23, 2013
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,272 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 17, 2011; 97 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,170 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C90 SERIES (piston); 2,505 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K23 Cooperstown NY at 10:10 pm
- Destination: K23 Cooperstown NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 2,337 ft by 125 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from RME, 42 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
7 documents, released by the NTSB on March 30, 2015. 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 | Statements to Ny State Police | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Carburetor Icing Probability Chart | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | FAA Site Overview | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 1 - Wreckage Site (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo 2 - Propeller (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4550M on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-11 Cub Special 443 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor C90 SERIES 2,149 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cooperstown-Westville Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in New York 1,964 since 1982 · 249 in the last ten years
- New York 6,659 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA14LA261.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.