Cessna 180 N6414X

Summary

On 30 October 2018 at about 16:24 local time, a Cessna 180 registered N6414X was involved in an accident near Cottonwood, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 October 2018 at 16:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Cottonwood, California, United States

Nearest airport

Lake California Air Park (68CA)

Coordinates

40.3511, -122.2053

Aircraft

Cessna 180

Registration

N6414X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1960

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palo Alto → Cottonwood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA017

1 person was seriously injured.

A partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing as a result of the pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat during a reduced-power approach descent.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was approaching the destination airport at an altitude of about 1,500 ft about 1.5 miles from the runway threshold, when he attempted to add power by advancing the throttle, but "nothing happened." He "cycled" the mixture and the magnetos, but there was no change, and the airplane descended below the desired glidepath. The pilot did not use carburetor heat during the approach, and he did not apply it following the engine’s failure to respond to the advanced throttle setting. The pilot chose to conduct an off-airport landing in a field, during which the airplane stalled while the pilot attempted to maneuver over power lines. There was no evidence of any fuel or oil leaks, thermal or fire damage, or any nonimpact-related deficiencies or damage. During a test run, the engine started and functioned normally, except that the maximum rpm achieved was slightly below the design specification. The examination and testing did not reveal any mechanical reasons for the power loss reported by the pilot. The ambient temperature and dew point in the area of the accident site about the time of the accident were conducive to the development of carburetor icing. Given the lack of mechanical anomalies and the pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat during the descent and following the engine’s lack of response to the power increase, it is likely that the engine developed carburetor ice during the approach at the reduced throttle setting, which resulted in the engine's failure to respond to the pilot's throttle change. The pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat during the reduced power descent was contrary to the airplane manufacturer's Owner's Manual guidance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.