Cessna 182G N3147S

Summary

On 27 September 2015 at about 15:46 local time, a Cessna 182G registered N3147S was involved in an accident near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one 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

27 September 2015 at 15:46

Classification

Accident

Location

Glenwood Springs, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.4900, -107.2997

Aircraft

Cessna 182G

Registration

N3147S

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Aspen → Aspen

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA430

1 person was seriously injured.

A loss of engine power during cruise flight due to carburetor icing and the pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat, which resulted in a forced landing on rough/uneven terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot performed a preflight inspection of the airplane, listened to a recorded weather report, and departed on a local flight. About 15 minutes into the flight, at an altitude of 9,700 ft above mean sea level, he realized the engine was at full throttle and had no more power to climb. He later reported that the electronic engine monitor indicated he "lost cylinder #2 and #4 was going down." He also stated that the engine did not completely stop producing power, but it was "running very low." The pilot elected to perform a forced landing to an open field. The airplane touched down twice, impacted a ditch, and nosed over. The examination of the airframe and test run of the engine and did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical anomalies. The local temperature and dew point were plotted on a carburetor icing probability chart, which indicated that conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor icing at glide and cruise power. Further, review of recorded information from the airplane's engine monitor showed data consistent with a loss of engine power due to carburetor ice. The pilot stated that he did not use carburetor heat during the flight, thus it is likely that the engine lost power due to carburetor ice, which could have been prevented with the application of carburetor heat.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.