Cessna 150G N2466J

Summary

On 21 August 2014 at about 00:00 local time, a Cessna 150G registered N2466J was involved in an accident near Pittstown, New Jersey, 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

21 August 2014 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Pittstown, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Sky Manor (N40)

Coordinates

40.5658, -74.9794

Aircraft

Cessna 150G

Registration

N2466J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Princeton → Pittstown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA401

Nobody was injured.

A total 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 private pilot reported that he had flown the airplane to another airport earlier in the day and was returning to his home airport. The pilot stated that, when the airplane entered the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, he applied carburetor heat and 10 degrees of flaps. He added that, when he turned the airplane onto the base leg of the traffic pattern, he noticed an "unusually" low airspeed. The engine did not respond to throttle adjustments, so the pilot secured the carburetor heat, which had no effect. He then turned the airplane onto the final approach, and the propeller stopped. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a cornfield, during which the right wing spar and propeller sustained substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A small amount of water was observed in the gascolator. The pilot reported that, when he initially sumped fuel before the first flight, he saw about 2 inches of water in a "standard" sump tube. The pilot also noted an additional 1/4 inch of water after adding 8 gallons of fuel. He further noted another 1/2 inch of water after adding 5 more gallons at the intermediate airport. Given the reported water in the fuel system before the first flight and after adding additional fuel, it is possible that water could have built up over time in the carburetor bowl and entered the engine as the airplane was making a descending turn. However, it is also possible that carburetor ice had formed given that the temperature and dew point at the time of the engine stoppage were conductive to serious carburetor icing at glide power. The pilot did not note if the engine rpm (fixed-pitch propeller) had decreased slowly but did note that the airspeed had decreased, indicative of lower rpm and, therefore, possibly carburetor icing. Also, although the pilot added carburetor heat in the landing pattern, with previously reduced power for the descent, carburetor ice could have already formed or the engine could have cooled to the point that initial heating efforts would not have provided heated air. However, with no substantive evidence that carburetor ice had formed and given the small amount of water found in the gascolator, the reason for the total loss of power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.