Nest Sucked Into Carburetor

A warning for pilots everywhere: the mice are numerous, and they ARE out to get you. If that sounds a tad paranoid... just ask Danny Hall.

On August 2, Hall was flying his single engine Cessna over the Pawcatuck River in Rhode Island, setting up for landing on Runway 7 at Westerly State Airport (WST). Everything appeared normal... until he pulled carb heat as part of his normal landing routine, and his engine seized up.

Hall was forced to ditch the plane in the river, reports The Westerly Sun. He managed to escape before the plane sank, and was rescued by a boater who saw the plane hit the water. Hall suffered relatively minor injuries in the ordeal.

"I was able to glide the plane like a glider and find a safe place to land," he said. "I felt maybe a little panic at first, but I was able to calm down and fly the plane."

It didn't take long for investigators to pinpoint a likely explanation. FAA officials found evidence of a mouse nest near the engine's carburetor. When Hall pulled the carb heat, the nest -- and accompanying mice -- were sucked in.

Hall maintains there was no way for him to know the mice were in the engine compartment, short of pulling off the plane's cowl. He credits the flight instruction he received while training seven years ago for his survival.

"I saw the runway and took a quick look around," Hall recounted. "I remember looking down about 4 or 5 times... My instructor was really good about drilling emergency landings into my head."

You can bet the next time Hall flies a plane, he'll also take an especially thorough look inside the engine compartment.

FMI: www.faa.gov