Cessna 182A N4723D

Summary

On 25 January 1997 at about 23:50 local time, a Cessna 182A registered N4723D was involved in an accident near Midland, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 January 1997 at 23:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Midland, Texas, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 182A

Registration

N4723D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW97LA091

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to periodically clear the engine during an extended glide. Factors were the carburetor icing weather conditions and the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane lost engine power while on final approach for landing, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a unsuitable field which resulted in the airplane coming to rest in the inverted position. The pilot was performing a parachute jumping flight to an altitude of 12,500 feet MSL. During the descent the pilot used carburetor heat, but did not 'clear' the airplane's engine at regular intervals. The pilot reported that at 500 feet AGL the engine lost power as if 'the mixture was pulled out to stop the engine.' A carburetor icing chart was consulted, and it was determined that the temperature and dew point that the National Weather Service reported for that time did fall within the carburetor icing range. The FAA Flight Training Handbook states in the section under 'Descents (Maximum Distance Glides)' that during 'power-off descents, the engine should be cleared periodically to prevent excessive cooling and fouling.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.