Cessna 152 N444QA

Summary

On 5 January 2006 at about 18:35 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N444QA, operated by Kelso Flight Services, was involved in an accident near Kelso, Washington, 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

5 January 2006 at 18:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Kelso, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Kelso-Longview (KLS)

Coordinates

46.1072, -122.8833

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N444QA

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Kelso Flight Services

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kelso → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA06LA037

Nobody was injured.

Encounter with carburetor icing conditions while maneuvering for the downwind which resulted in a loss of engine power due to carburetor ice. The aircraft nosing over during the landing roll in soft sand was a factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to take the aircraft out on a maintenance check flight as the aircraft had not flown much in the preceding three months. After about 50 minutes, the pilot returned to the airport. The pilot stated that he had checked for carburetor ice several times during the flight. During the return flight to the airport in mist, the pilot applied carburetor heat and reduced power to descend from 2,000 feet to 1,100 feet. The pilot was setting up for a 45 degree entry to runway 12 when he closed the carburetor heat and applied power. The pilot stated that the engine did not respond and would not "make power." The pilot was unable to get power back to the engine, which eventually lost all power before he initiated a forced landing to an open sand pit. During the landing roll, the airplane nosed over. A post-crash inspection of the engine found that the engine was able to be started. Due to impact damage, the engine was run only for a short time before it was shut down. According to a carburetor icing probability chart, the weather conditions was conducive for serious carburetor icing at cruise power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.