Piper PA24 accident near Nashville, Tennessee, December 12, 2020
On December 12, 2020 at about 6:50 pm local time, a 1961 Piper PA24, registered N7639P, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Nashville, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat during the approach, which resulted in a 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
- December 12, 2020 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Nashville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA24 180, built 1961 · all PA24s on the register
- Registration
- N7639P · registry record · serial 24-2851
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot had completed most of a cross-country flight and about 7 miles from the destination airport during the approach, the engine lost all power. Despite several troubleshooting actions, the pilot was unable to restore engine power. He subsequently completed a forced landing in a field where the airplane touched down hard resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine found no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation and the fuel tanks were not breached. A carburetor icing probability chart revealed that serious icing was to be expected at glide power. The pilot had not used carburetor heat within the preceding 30 minutes prior to the loss of engine power, and he could not recall using carburetor heat after the loss of engine power. Additional examination of the airplane found about 7 gallons of fuel in the left fuel tank, which was the reported tank selected at the time of the engine failure. About 1/4 to 1/8 of a cup of fuel was found in the right tank, which was the tank the pilot switched to after the engine failure. Trace amounts of fuel were located throughout the fuel lines and carburetor. Given that sufficient fuel was found in the tank that was selected when the loss of power occurred, it is likely that the accumulation of carburetor resulted in a total loss of engine power. In addition, after the loss of engine power, the fuel selector was switched to a tank that was found to have an unusable amount of fuel, which further reduced the possibility that engine power could be restored.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Fuel related during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, military, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,873 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 1,699 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 23, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,639.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 16, 2020; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A (piston); 2,200 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EDN Enterprise AL at 4:30 pm
- Destination: JWN Nashville TN
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,200 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from JWN, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on September 29, 2022. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Memo for Record (FAA Inspector) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation (Pilot) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Carb Ice Probability Chart | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Excerpts from the Pilota��s Operating Handbook | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 7 | NTSB Memo for Record (Jpi Data) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Jpi Data Set | data file | Download |
| 9 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N7639P 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.