ERA21LA291

About 25 minutes after takeoff, while in cruise flight at 1,600 ft mean sea level, the pilot noted an audible rpm reduction followed by a vibration and a loss of power. During the emergency descent, he “cycled the carb heat,” verified the mixture control was set to rich and that the fuel selector was in the ON position, and attempted to restart the engine. Unable to restart the engine, he performed a forced landing to a heavily wooded area, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the wreckage and an engine test run revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal engine operation. Based on the temperature and dew point about the time of the accident, the conditions were favorable for carburetor icing at glide and cruise power settings. It is likely that, during the flight, carburetor ice formed, subsequently resulting in the loss of engine power.

On July 13, 2021, about 1056 eastern daylight time, a Cessna A150K, N8412M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Brooksville, Florida. The commercial pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he conducted a thorough preflight inspection before departing. About 25 minutes after takeoff, in cruise flight at 1,600 ft mean sea level, he noted an audible rpm reduction, followed by a vibration and a loss of engine power. During the forced landing, he “cycled the carb heat,” and verified that the mixture control was set to rich. He verified that the fuel selector was in the ON position and attempted to restart the engine. As he was unable to restart the engine, he performed a forced landing to a heavily wooded area. According to pictures provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the accident site, the engine mounts and wing spars sustained substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal engine operation. The propeller spinner was dented and removed prior to starting the engine to eliminate any vibration. The fuel sump was drained, and the automotive fuel looked dark in color. An external fuel tank was connected to the carburetor. The engine started and ran smoothly at various power settings with no anomalies noted. At 1053, the weather reported at Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport (BKV), about 6 miles southwest of the accident site, included a temperature of 29°C and a dew point of 24°C. The calculated relative humidity at this temperature and dewpoint was 74%. Review of the icing probability chart contained within Federal Aviation Administration Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 revealed the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were "conducive to serious icing at glide and cruise power."