Cessna 172 N91SP

Summary

On 24 December 2017 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N91SP was involved in an accident near Union Mills, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 December 2017 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Union Mills, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.4906, -82.0589

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N91SP

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Union Mills → Union Mills

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18TA059

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to use carburetor heat in weather conditions conducive to serious carburetor icing, which resulted in a total loss of engine power and a subsequent forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was practicing landing approaches to a private airstrip that he was constructing. According to the pilot, while flying about treetop height with full flaps deployed, he added full power to initiate a climb; the engine "sputtered" and stopped producing power. He then performed a forced landing to the unimproved airstrip. During the landing, the airplane "bounced," departed the side of the cleared area, entered the woods, and sustained substantial damage. When asked about the performance and handling of the airplane, the pilot said it was "perfect." He stated that the reason for the loss of engine power was carburetor ice and that he had not used carburetor heat for the low approach and pass over the airstrip. The weather conditions in the area at the time of the accident were conducive to serious icing at cruise power. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot's failure to use carburetor heat resulted in an accumulation of ice within the carburetor that led to a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.