Cessna 150H N7250S

Summary

On 21 October 2012 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna 150H registered N7250S, operated by John Rodick, was involved in an accident near Mansfield, Massachusetts, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 October 2012 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Mansfield, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Mansfield Municipal (1B9)

Coordinates

42.0006, -71.1922

Aircraft

Cessna 150H

Registration

N7250S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

John Rodick

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Manfield → Manfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13LA034

Nobody was injured.

The pilots’ failure to apply carburetor heat during takeoff, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power due to the formation of carburetor ice.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor stated that during takeoff, when the airplane reached 250 feet above ground level, it "stopped climbing." The flight instructor assumed control of the airplane from the student and verified the position of the engine controls; however, despite adjusting airspeeds between best rate and best angle of climb, the airplane continued to descend until it settled into trees off the departure end of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the empennage and tail sections. The occupants egressed without injury. After the accident, the airplane was removed from the trees by local authorities and placed inverted on the ground. As a result, all residual fuel drained from the airplane, and no fuel was available for testing. Examination of the airframe revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The engine was removed from the airframe and placed in a test cell where it started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously at rated power. Atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious icing at any power setting, and the flight instructor stated that he ensured that the carburetor heat control was in its cold position during the takeoff. Therefore, it is likely that the loss of engine power was related to the accumulation of carburetor ice during takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.