PA-20 Pacer/PA-22 Tri-Pacer
Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 5; Flight Crew Total 116; Flight Crew Type 98
Troubleshooting; Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Inflight Shutdown; Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Human Factors
After climbing; engine starting to sputter. Pulled carb heat; seemed to help for 2-3 minutes; then sputting again; switched tanks; again seemed to help for a few minutes. I had a highway directly under me with only one car in sight; which would easily be passed under me; if I had to land. then engine really went to idle; so with the clear road I landed on the road and pulled into the next approach. After inspecting the plane; no damage to be found; everything looked normal; I thought I might have had a vacuum problem; opened the gas cap and retightened. I then started to plane; ran fine; do run up and no problems. Then I turned the plane around and started again and run up was normal. I could see to approximately five miles each way; so with clear road; I took off again heading straight for the nearest small strip to have a mechanic look it over. It started to sputter again on downwind leg; but I was able to make a normal landing and taxi. I assume the mechanic may find a carburetor problem or debris in gas? Thank goodness my flight instructor made me do so many power out situations!
A PA-22 pilot safely landed off airport following a power loss. After checking fuel; vacuum and finding no damage; the pilot took off from a country road and flew to his home airport where power was again lost during the approach to an on airport landing.