20040117011149A

(-23) On January 17, 2004 at 1536 eastern standard time a Cessna 182A, N4744D, registered to and operated by a private pilot Mr. Thomas john wood, crashed during an emergency landing in Traphill, north carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed during the time of the accident. The aircraft was destroyed. The pilot was fatally injured, and the three passengers received serious injuries, the flight departed wilkes county airport, wilkesboro, north carolina on January 17, 2004, at 1455. Examination of the accident site revealed the following: the airplane came to rest in a field nine miles north of the wilkes county airport. The aircraft-landing path in the field was on a slight uphill grade, approximately 10 degrees. From the initial aircraft touch down point in the field to its resting point was approximately 108 feet. The nose gear was buckled under the aircraft. The engine mount was deformed and bent down. The main landing gear was intact but damaged. The left forward fuselage at the doorpost was torn open, approximately 2 feet. The left wing was attached but buckled and damaged. The right wing rear attach point was torn loose, but the strut and forward attach point werestill intact. The empennage was torn open at the baggage compartment door with the empennage and aft control surfaces wrapped around and under the right side of the aircraft. The flight controls were inspected for continuity with no problems noted. The fuel tanks and selector valve were checked with no problems noted. The instruments panel instruments and controls were checked with no problems noted. The engine spark plugs were pulled to verify valve or piston damage, none noted. The mag plugs were pulled to check for contamination, none noted. On 1-18-04 the NTSB and engine representative verified engine train continuity and mag timing. The propeller was bent from the impact. The carburetor and box were visually inspected, with the carburetor box destroyed. The pilot logs were reviewed with no problems noted. The maintenance logbooks were reviewed with no problems noted. Witness statements were obtained from privacy data omitted who observed the aircraft flight over his property, and from the pilot's son privacy data omitted in the forward right seat of the aircraft. Both witness statements speak of a rough running engine with loss of power, but both state the engine was running. The statement of the pilots son speak of the engine losing power as if the aircraft engine was choked needing air. The surface airways observations were pulled for kukf/wilkesboro, NC. The report was reviewed and compared to a temperature/dew point carburetor icing graph. The pilot's son privacy data omitted stated that he thought the aircraft was somewhere around 3800 feet in altitude when the engine started losing power. If that were the case the aircraft operation would have been within the carburetor icing graph range. All available facts up to this point in time, point to carburetor icing.