Piper PA-28-140 accident near Ellington, Connecticut, December 22, 1996
On December 22, 1996 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N55228, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ellington, Connecticut (Ellington airport). It was an instructional 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
ice ingestion into the engine from the carburetor air box, which resulted in a loss of engine power and a subsequent forced landing, off airport, on unprepared terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 1996 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ellington, Connecticut · Ellington
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N55228 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7325346
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and a private pilot departed on a local training flight. The preflight, engine start, and run-up were reported normal. The private pilot then taxied the airplane to runway 19, and performed a soft field takeoff. The pilot rotated the airplane at 65 MPH. Before reaching 80 MPH, the engine lost power, and the private pilot applied carburetor heat with no effect. The flight instructor took over the controls and landed the airplane straight ahead on a grass lawn. Examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact failure of the engine or airframe. A postaccident engine run was completed satisfactorily. Moisture was found in the engine air inlet system between the air filter and the carburetor air box. The airplane had been kept outside after its last flight, where it had been exposed to a wind blown snow storm, and a driving rain storm. At the time of the accident, the outside air temperature was below freezing.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,544 hours in all; 134 in this make and model; 239 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 1,398 as pilot in command; 1,196 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,416 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 31, 1996; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7B9 at 5:44 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 1,800 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:51 pm from BDL, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.