Cessna 150 N8254S

Summary

On 20 March 2015 at about 12:30 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N8254S, operated by M Air Zedt Corporation, was involved in an accident near Masscotte, Florida, 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

20 March 2015 at 12:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Masscotte, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Grass Roots Airpark (06FD)

Coordinates

28.6628, -81.8825

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N8254S

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

M Air Zedt Corporation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Masscotte → Kissimmee

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA165

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to use carburetor heat during the flight while operating in conditions conducive to carburetor icing, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to take off in low visibility conditions, which precluded him from being able to locate a suitable emergency landing area.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The noninstrument-rated private pilot reported that he took off in the airplane and that the engine lost power about 1,500 ft above ground level. He subsequently conducted a forced landing in woods about 1/2 mile from the airport, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. Witnesses reported hearing the airplane depart the airport but not seeing it because the visibility was limited due to fog in the area. Following the accident, a witness talked to the pilot. He stated that the pilot told him that, after the airplane departed the airport, the engine "sputtered, came back up, and then quit." Further, the pilot reported to a local mechanic that he did not use carburetor heat during the flight. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane, and a postaccident engine examination revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the engine had been operating on automotive gasoline. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of serious carburetor icing at glide power, and carburetor icing is more likely to form when an engine is operating on automotive gasoline. Further, the pilot reported that the engine "sputtered," which is consistent with how an engine sounds when carburetor ice has accumulated, and that he did not use carburetor heat during the approximate 15-minute flight. Therefore, it is likely that the airplane lost total engine power due to carburetor icing. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed near the accident site at the time of the accident, and visibility was about 1/4 mile due to fog. Further, the airport was surrounded by farmland and pastures, and the airplane impacted a stand of trees. Therefore, it is likely that the weather conditions precluded the pilot from being able to locate a suitable emergency landing area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.