- Date
- January 9, 1998, 12:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Boyd, TX
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N757CHCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980109000239A
- Case key
- 20514
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
loss of engine power resulting from the pilot's delayed use of carburetor heat during serious carburetor icing conditions. Factors were: the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing and an evasive maneuver which led to an inadvertent stall.
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
The instrument student was practicing standard rate (500 fpm) descents and climbs, and the flight had descended with the power at 2,000 RPM from 3,000 feet MSL to 1,500 feet MSL. When the student applied full throttle for the climb, the engine power did not increase. The flight instructor took the flight controls and applied carburetor heat; however, the power decreased through 1,500 RPM to 1,200 RPM. The field selected for the forced landing was rough and the airplane struck the ground and again became airborne. The flight instructor, observing a powerline and fence ahead of the airplane, flew the airplane under the powerline and over the fence. Subsequently, the airplane 'stalled' and impacted the ground. The NWS reported the temperature was 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit with a dew point of 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit and a relative humidity of 61 per cent. The icing probability curves showed the conditions to be favorable for serious carburetor icing.
Factual narrative
On January 9, 1998, at 1245 central standard time, a Cessna 152, N757CH, impacted terrain during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Boyd, Texas. The airplane was operated by Bourn Ammenson Aviation, Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot/instrument student and the commercial pilot/flight instructor received minor injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the local instructional flight that departed Hicks Airfield at 1230.
During personal interviews, conducted by the investigator-in-charge, and on the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), the flight instructor and instrument student reported that the student was practicing standard rate (500 fpm) descents and climbs. The flight descended with the power at 2,000 RPM from 3,000 feet MSL to 1,500 feet MSL, and the instrument student applied full throttle for the climb; however, the engine power did not increase. The flight instructor took the flight controls and applied carburetor heat and performed the emergency checklist; however, the power decreased through 1,500 RPM to 1,200 RPM. At a descent rate of 200 fpm, the flight instructor selected a field which "appeared to be suitable for the landing." However, the field was rough and the airplane struck the ground and again became airborne. The flight instructor, observing a powerline and fence ahead of the airplane, flew the airplane under the powerline and over the fence. Subsequently, the airplane "stalled" as it approached a hill. The left wing and the nose gear struck the ground, and the airplane came to rest inverted. The left wing, vertical stabilizer, and rudder sustained damage.
The flight instructor reported the temperature at 55 degrees Fahrenheit with a dew point of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The National Weather Service (METAR) observation at 1253 for the Alliance Airport (14 miles east of the accident site) reported the temperature at 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit with a dew point of 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit and a relative humidity of 61 per cent. The icing probability curves showed the conditions to be favorable for serious carburetor icing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N757CH
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15279629
- Airframe hours
- 7,483
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bourn Ammenson Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 30, 1997
- Departed
- T67 · Fort Worth, TX
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
- 25
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,300 total · 700 in this make and model · 1,250 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 14 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Observed at
- AFW, 14 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.