Cessna 172G N4448L

Summary

On 16 May 2024 at about 16:00 local time, a Cessna 172G registered N4448L was involved in an accident near Lakeport, California, United States. One person was 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

16 May 2024 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Lakeport, California, United States

Nearest airport

Lampson Fld (1O2)

Coordinates

38.9949, -122.9090

Aircraft

Cessna 172G

Registration

N4448L

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

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR24LA154

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate use of carburetor heat, which resulted in a total loss of engine power shortly after takeoff due to fuel starvation as a result of carburetor ice.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing pattern work at the airport. After three takeoffs and landings, he taxied back to the hangar and then decided to complete another orbit in the pattern. The pilot taxied back to the run-up area and performed a run-up, which included checking the magnetos and activating the carburetor heat, both of which produced the required revolutions per minute (rpm) drop. He taxied onto the runway, added power, and as the airplane took off and began to climb, the engine lost all power. Due to the low altitude, the pilot decided to make a forced landing to an open field. During the landing sequence, the empennage was substantially damaged when it impacted a barbed wire fence and separated from the fuselage. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at cruise power. Carburetor ice likely formed during the extended taxi back to the pilot’s hangar and then to the run-up area before takeoff. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine, including an engine test run at idle speed, revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.