- Date
- July 15, 2006, 18:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Plattsburgh, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2186GCessna 182A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20060715020159A
- Case key
- 63758
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 utilize carburetor heat, which resulted in the formation of carburetor ice and subsequent engine failure. Factors included the carburetor icing conditions and trees in the forced landing area.
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
According to the pilot of the Cessna 182A, he was returning to land after completing a skydiving drop. The descent, and the downwind and base legs of the traffic pattern were uneventful; however, after turning onto the final leg, the pilot attempted to add power, and the engine "cut out." The pilot checked the mixture, magnetos and throttle, but the engine did not regain power. In order to clear trees, the pilot reduced airspeed to stall speed, and the airplane landed short of the runway. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, there was adequate fuel onboard, and there were no mechanical anomalies noted, but the carburetor heat was off. A plot of the ambient temperature and dew point on a carburetor icing probability chart revealed the likelihood of "serious [carburetor] icing at glide power."
Factual narrative
According to the pilot of the Cessna 182A, he was returning to land after completing a skydiving drop. The descent, and the downwind and base legs of the traffic pattern were uneventful. However, after turning onto the final leg, the pilot attempted to add power, and the engine "cut out." The pilot checked the mixture, magnetos and throttle, but the engine did not regain power. In order to clear trees, the pilot reduced airspeed to stall speed, and the airplane landed short of the runway. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, there was adequate fuel onboard, and there were no mechanical anomalies noted, but the carburetor heat was off. A plot of the ambient temperature and dew point on a carburetor icing probability chart revealed the likelihood of "serious [carburetor] icing at glide power."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2186G
- Reported as
- Cessna 182A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 51486
- Engine
- Continental O-470, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving · Part 91
- Operator
- Malone Parachute Club
- Registered owner
- Maplefield Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PLB · Plattsburgh, NY
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
- 30
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 275 total · 20 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 68 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.