- Date
- January 29, 2020, 17:00 local (Jan 30, 2020, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Big Lake, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N19524Cessna 150
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20200130000289A
- Case key
- 100890
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to apply full carburetor heat while operating in conditions conducive to carburetor icing, which resulted in a total loss of engine power, a forced landing, and impact with a tree.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that while performing a straight-in visual approach, he applied partial carburetor heat, and retarded the throttle for the descent. The airplane became low on the approach profile and the pilot increased the throttle and the engine subsequently "coughed" and then lost all power. He attempted to make a forced landing on a road, but the left wing struck a tree branch and the airplane subsequently impacted a snowbank and then the road. The wings and fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He confirmed that the fuel tanks had sufficient fuel for the flight. The pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented had he applied full carburetor heat. The exact probability of carburetor icing was not able to be calculated for the accident site due to the closest weather observation station being 9 miles away. The relative humidity level at that weather station was 87% at an ambient temperature of 12°F at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N19524
- Reported as
- Cessna 150 (L)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15074469
- Built
- 1973
- Airframe hours
- 2,798.3
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 27, 2019
- Departed
- PATK · Talkeetna, AK
- Destination
- PAGQ · Big Lake, AK
- Airport
- BGQ · Big Lake, runway 07, 2,450 × 70 ft, gravel
- Equipment
- ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 9, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 517.2 total · 187.6 in this make and model · 404.6 as pilot in command · 48.2 in the last 90 days · 17.7 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 12 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.03 inHg
- Observed at
- PAWS, 9 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 10, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.