Cessna 182P N21048

Summary

On 24 May 2014 at about 22:00 local time, a Cessna 182P registered N21048 was involved in an accident near Mammoth Lakes, California, United States. 2 people were 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

24 May 2014 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mammoth Lakes, California, United States

Nearest airport

Mammoth Lakes (KMMH)

Coordinates

37.6294, -118.9619

Aircraft

Cessna 182P

Registration

N21048

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bishop → Los Banos

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA208

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing, which resulted from the pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat in cruise flight while operating in an area conducive to carburetor icing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that the airplane was in cruise flight at 12,500 ft mean sea level (msl) when he noticed a partial loss of engine power and that the No. 1 cylinder exhaust gas temperature had dropped from 1,450 to 1,300 degrees F. The pilot diverted to an airport about 10 miles away; however, the engine then experienced a total loss of power about 4,000 ft above ground level. The airplane was unable to reach the airport, so the pilot performed a forced landing on a dirt road, during which the firewall was substantially damaged and the right main landing gear collapsed. A postaccident engine test run at various power settings revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Weather conditions at the time of the accident at the airplane's cruise altitude of 12,500 ft msl were conducive to the formation of carburetor icing at glide and cruise power. During the on-site examination of the wreckage, the carburetor heat control was found in the "off" position. It is likely that the engine lost power due to carburetor ice and that the timely application of carburetor heat would have restored engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.