Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 182 near Anchorage, AK — 2015-07-05

Final reportANC15LA046
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Date
2015-07-05
Location
Anchorage, AK, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA 182
Registration
N4861D
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing, which resulted from the pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. The pilot reported that he was flying the airplane over an inland waterway when the engine began surging. The pilot switched fuel tanks, but the engine continued to surge and then lost total power. The pilot subsequently executed a forced landing on a highway, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing. After the accident, the pilot and a mechanic started the airplane, and the engine ran smoothly at various power settings. The atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of serious carburetor icing at glide power and moderate icing at cruise power. Therefore, it is likely that carburetor ice formed, which caused the engine to lose power, and that the pilot did not apply carburetor heat.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked for carburetor icing before flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 1 docket document
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents1

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