Pilot Debrief

Cessna 150 near Fulton, NY — 2019-04-11

Final reportERA19LA151
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Date
2019-04-11
Location
Fulton, NY, USA
Airport
FZY
Aircraft
Cessna 150
Registration
N3795J
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing. Contributing was the pilot’s failure to leave the carburetor heat on fully after his initial application of carburetor heat.

NTSB narrative

After descending with the engine power above 2,000 rpm, the pilot entered the traffic pattern for the destination airport. Just after turning onto the base leg of the pattern, the pilot applied the carburetor heat and the engine “faltered” and lost partial power. The pilot then deactivated the carburetor heat, and the engine regained some power. He reapplied the carburetor heat, and the engine stopped. He attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. While performing a forced landing to a road, the right wing impacted a utility pole and the airplane rolled over and sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were favorable for carburetor icing at altitude and at the surface. It is likely that carburetor ice developed during the descent; when the pilot applied the carburetor heat while in the traffic pattern, the ice began to melt, which introduced water into the engine intake and resulted in the engine losing partial power. The pilot’s subsequent cycling of the carburetor heat at a relatively low power setting likely resulted in the total loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have avoided carburetor heat application before landing.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

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