Cessna 172M N91505

Summary

On 18 March 2005 at about 23:10 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N91505 was involved in an accident near Spring, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

18 March 2005 at 23:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Spring, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Daviid Wayne Hooks (DWH)

Coordinates

30.0617, -95.5533

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N91505

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Conroe → Spring

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW05CA093

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate use of carburetor heat, which resulted in carburetor ice and the loss of engine power. A contributing factor was conditions conducive to carburetor icing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 450-hour pilot reported that after a while entering the pattern to land on runway 17R, he noted that the airplane's altitude was high and his airpeed was also high. He reported reducing engine power and extending the flaps to 20 degrees. After turning on final approach to the runway, the pilot extended the flaps an additional 10 degrees and then noticed that the airplane "began sinking at a fast rate." Subsequently, the engine lost power and the pilot initiated a forced landing. During the forced landing, the airplane struck tops of trees, nosed over, and impacted terrain before coming to rest in a nose low attitude. The weather reporting station at the airport reported temperature 71 degrees Fahrenheit and dew point 48 degrees Fahrenheit 17 minutes prior to the accident. According to information on a Carburetor Icing Probability Chart at the operating temperature/dew point, the airplane was found to be operating within the "serious icing at glide power" range. Examination of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.