N5548B

On April 11, 2000, at 1800 central daylight time (cdt), a Piper PA-11, N5548B, operated by a solo student pilot, sustained substantial damage when while maneuvering at low altitude and attempting to go around, the airplane impacted into a snow- covered field and subsequently nosed over, 4 miles east of Sherwood, North Dakota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. There was no flight plan on file. The student pilot reported no injuries. The local flight originated at Westhope, North Dakota, at 1745 cdt.

In his written statement, the student pilot said that he was flying over his home to look for an area on which to put in an airstrip. "When I was making an approach at one location, I added power to the plane and there was no power." The pilot said he checked the carburetor heat and it was on. The pilot elected to set the airplane down on the field. "As the plane was slowing down, the wheels dropped through the snow and the plane flipped on its back."

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane at the student pilot's farm. The engine, engine mounts and firewall were bent upward and aft. The propeller was bent aft. The right wing was bent upward. Both wing struts were broken. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were crushed downward. Examination of the airplane's engine, engine controls and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies.

At 1748 cdt, the weather conditions reported at Minot International Airport, Minot, North Dakota (212 degrees and 51 nautical miles from the accident site) were 15,000 feet broken ceiling, 15 miles visibility, temperature 37 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 19 degrees F, winds 310 degrees at 7 knots, and altimeter setting of 30.38 inches of Mercury.

According to the Department of Transportation/FAA Publication CT- 82/44, Light Airplane Piston Engine Carburetor Ice Detector/ Warning Device Sensitivity/Effectiveness, June 1982, with a temperature of 37 degrees F, and a dew point of 19 degrees F, the Carburetor Icing Probability Chart shows icing occurring at glide and cruise power.