- Date
- June 25, 1992, 11:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Gettysburg, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1793QCessna 150L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 37165
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 student pilot's delayed action in applying carburetor heat during cruise, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to carburetor ice. Factors in this accident were: weather conditions conducive for carburetor icing, the pilot's lack of total flying experience and the rough terrain.
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 student pilot reported that the engine began to run rough during cruise flight, approximately 30 minutes after take off. Suspecting carburetor ice the student pilot then applied carburetor heat. When the application of carburetor heat failed to immediately correct the rough running engine, the student pilot decided to land the airplane in an empty field. Upon touchdown in the field, the airplane nose wheel struck a hole causing the airplane to flip over. According to the icing probability curves, conditions were favorable for the formation of moderate icing at cruise power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1793Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15073093
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Eagle Air Inc
- Registered owner
- Eagle Air Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- HGR · Hagerstown, MD
- Destination
- AVP · Wilkes-Barre, PA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 45 total · 45 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 45 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MDT, 30 nm away