Cessna 172 N4379L

Summary

On 27 August 2018 at about 17:50 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N4379L was involved in an accident near Rushville, Indiana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

27 August 2018 at 17:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Rushville, Indiana, United States

Coordinates

39.6750, -85.3222

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N4379L

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Portsmouth → Crawfordsville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA352

2 people had minor injuries.

Loss of engine power due to carburetor icing and the pilot's failure to use carburetor heat in weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot indicated that, during the cross-country flight, the engine "sputtered" several times then regained power. During the descent, it sputtered again and then lost power. The pilot reported she did not believe she was experiencing carburetor icing conditions during the cruise portion of the flight and did not remember what temperature the carburetor temperature gauge was displaying at the time. During the descent, the pilot attempted to troubleshoot the engine power loss without applying carburetor heat but was not successful in regaining engine power. During the forced landing, she attempted to maneuver the airplane between a power line pole and several trees. The airplane struck the power lines and impacted a field in a slightly nose-down attitude, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane had adequate fuel on board to complete the flight. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power settings. The loss of engine power likely occurred due to carburetor icing and the pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat in conditions conducive to carburetor icing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.