- Date
- February 21, 1990, 13:50 local (18:50 UTC)
- Place
- Roxboro, NC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6845GCessna 150L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900221002529A
- Case key
- 8210
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 use the before landing checklist which requires the application of carburetor heat. Factors were soft terrain at accident site, and condition favorable for the formation of carburetor ice.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Following a local flight the engine sputtered & quit on the downwind leg of the landing pattern. A forced landing in soft terrain resulted in the collapse of the nose gear & a nose over. The pilot said he took off with ten gal of fuel & flew about 50 minutes. Fire personnel saw fuel pouring from the vents at the accident site. The pilot said he had refueled about a week prior & found water in the fuel afterwards, which he drained. No water was found during his pre flight nor in the gascolator after the accident. However, the spark plugs had no carbon deposits on the electrodes. The engine was mounted on a test stand following the accident & operated normally. According to the icing probability curves, weather conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor ice when the accident occurred.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6845G
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15072345
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert O. Whitfield
- Departed
- TDF
- Airport
- TDF · Person County, runway 6, 5,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 201 total · 72 in this make and model · 149 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RDU, 27 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.