Cessna 150M N714BS

Summary

On 13 January 2012 at about 23:50 local time, a Cessna 150M registered N714BS, operated by Prairie Air Service Inc, was involved in an accident near El Dorado, Kansas, 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

13 January 2012 at 23:50

Classification

Accident

Location

El Dorado, Kansas, United States

Coordinates

37.8192, -96.8507

Aircraft

Cessna 150M

Registration

N714BS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Prairie Air Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Benton → Benton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA135

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was on a local flight and the airplane had climbed to an altitude of about 10,700 feet. The pilot reduced the power and established a glide. At an altitude of about 8,000 feet, he advanced the throttle, but the engine only reached about 1,500 rpm. He checked the throttle and mixture controls and applied carburetor heat; however, the engine rpm kept getting lower. During the forced landing in a field, the airplane impacted an embankment and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. An examination of the engine failed to identify any anomalies that would account for a loss of power. A review of the carburetor icing probability chart revealed that the weather conditions were just outside favorable conditions for the formation of carburetor icing. Additionally, the air temperature and moisture content at 8,000- to 12,000-feet altitude were not conducive to carburetor icing. A review of Transport Canada’s publication, TP10737, “The use of automobile gasoline (Mogas) in Aviation,” dated March 31, 1993, noted that, “Mogas is generally higher in volatility than Avgas [aviation gas]. Mogas will thus absorb more heat from the mixing air when vaporizing, resulting in ice accumulation at higher ambient temperatures. The likelihood of carburetor icing while flying on Mogas is higher.” Despite the low power setting during the glide and the use of Mogas, the weather conditions near the accident site did not appear to be favorable for the formation of carburetor icing. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.