Cessna 150G N8657J

Summary

On 19 May 2002 at about 16:54 local time, a Cessna 150G registered N8657J was involved in an accident near Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 May 2002 at 16:54

Classification

Accident

Location

Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

42.6195, -87.9201

Aircraft

Cessna 150G

Registration

N8657J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chicago/Prospec → Kenosha

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI02LA138

1 person had minor injuries.

The student pilot's failure to use carburetor heat, and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was damaged during a forced landing to a plowed field following a loss of engine power while approaching to land. The airplane was being flown by a certified flight instructor (CFI) and a student pilot. The CFI stated that prior to the flight the student pilot performed a sump check of the fuel tanks and found water in the fuel samples. She said that she instructed the student to sump the fuel tanks three to five times, after which they were able to get clear fuel samples. The CFI stated that she and her student checked the weather and decided to practice landings at ENW. The CFI said that they were set up for a straight-in approach to runway 6R at ENW when the engine lost power. She said that she assumed control of the airplane and performed a, "...flow check: (Fuel selector - Both, Mixture - Rich, Carb heat - ON, Throttle - Set, [Magnetos] - Both, Engine gauges - Green.)" The CFI reported that she determined that she would not be able to make the runway and she elected to land in a field. During the forced landing, the nose landing gear of the airplane collapsed. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed traces of water in the fuel tanks, fuel hoses, and the carburetor. No other anomalies were found that could be determined to have existed prior to the accident. The temperature and dewpoint at the time of the accident were reported as 8 degrees Celsius and 3 degrees Celsius respectively. According to a carburetor icing chart, the temperature and dewpoint are within the range of serious icing potential for any power setting. Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 20-113 states the following regarding the use of carburetor heat: "[Carburetor] Heat should be applied for a short time to warm the induction system before beginning a prolonged descent with the engine throttled and left on during the descent. Power lever advancement should be performed periodically during descent to assure that power recovery can be achieved. The pilot should be prepared to turn heat off after power is regained to resume level flight or initiate a go-around from an abandoned approach."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.