SEA05CA112

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 150G · Buckley, WA · June 8, 2005

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
June 7, 2005, 18:10 local (Jun 8, 2005, 01:10 UTC)
Place
Buckley, WA
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Initial climb
Aircraft
N2751SCessna 150G
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report September 13, 2005
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
20050607009079A
Case key
61655

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to use carburetor heat which resulted in a loss of engine power due to carburetor ice and a forced landing. Contributing factors were the carburetor icing conditions and the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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.

Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanicalTakeoff - initial climb
Weather condition - carburetor icing conditionsFactor
Fuel system,carburetor - iceCause
Carburetor heat - not selectedPilot in commandCause
Forced landingEmergency landing after takeoff
On ground/water collision with objectEmergency landing
Object - fence
Terrain condition - none suitableFactor

Analysis

According to the pilot, after flying in the local area for about 30 minutes, he returned to the private airstrip and completed an approach and full stop landing. The approach was made with the carburetor heat on. The pilot then taxied the airplane back to the end of the runway, completed a run up and departed. He noticed the airplane was not climbing normally, and at approximately 300 feet agl, the engine coughed twice and lost power. The pilot executed a forced landing on a school football field. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a chain link fence. After exiting the airplane, the pilot noticed "a small puddle and dripping coming from the engine cowl." The pilot concluded this was "probably ice melting out of the carburetor." The following morning, the pilot returned to the scene of the accident and started the engine, which "fired right off and ran smoothly." The reported weather conditions included a temperature of 54 degrees F and a dew point of 51 degrees F. When plotted on a carburetor icing probability chart, this combination of temperature and dew point falls in the area conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at cruise power.

Factual narrative

On June 7, 2005, at 1810 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150G, N2751S, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power on takeoff from a private airstrip near Buckley, Washington. The commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight that departed from the private airstrip about 1730.

According to the pilot, after flying in the local area for about 30 minutes, he returned to the Burnett Landing private airstrip and completed an approach and full stop landing on runway 31. The approach was made with the carburetor heat on. The pilot then taxied the airplane back to the end of the runway, completed a run up and departed. He noticed the airplane was not climbing normally, and at approximately 300 feet agl, the engine coughed twice and lost power. The pilot executed a forced landing on a school football field. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a chain link fence. Both wings and the right elevator sustained structural damage.

After exiting the airplane, the pilot noticed "a small puddle and dripping coming from the engine cowl." The pilot concluded this was "probably ice melting out of the carburetor." The following morning, the pilot returned to the scene of the accident and started the engine, which "fired right off and ran smoothly."

The reported weather conditions at 1755 at McChord Air Force Base, Tacoma, Washington, located about 20 nautical miles west of the accident site, included a temperature of 54 degrees F and a dew point of 51 degrees F. When plotted on a carburetor icing probability chart, this combination of temperature and dew point falls in the area conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at cruise power.

Aircraft

Registration
N2751S
Reported as
Cessna 150G
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15066651
Engine
Continental O-200-A, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Robert J. O'Harra
Registered owner
Benjamin E. Woods
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Departed
Buckley, WA
Airport
NONE · Burnett Landing, runway 31

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
40
Certificates
Commercial, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2
Flight hours
2,200 total · 843 in this make and model · 14 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Temperature
54 °F, dew point 52 °F

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.

Other investigations on N2751S · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.