Flight CTSW N466CT

Summary

On 6 April 2016 at about 19:30 local time, a Flight CTSW registered N466CT was involved in an accident near Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, 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

6 April 2016 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Hilton Head (HXD)

Coordinates

32.2406, -80.7197

Aircraft

Flight CTSW

Registration

N466CT

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oak Island → Hilton Head Island

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA148

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat following a loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The sport pilot reported that, as he was approaching the landing runway, he retarded the throttle and descended from 1,300 to 1,000 ft mean sea level. He added that, a few seconds after retarding the throttle, the engine "ran rough" for a few seconds and then lost all power and would not restart. He did not attempt to apply carburetor heat, configured the airplane for best glide speed, and maneuvered for a forced landing on a golf course. After landing, the left wing struck a tree. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation, and there was sufficient fuel onboard at the time of the accident. A test run of the engine revealed no anomalies. Given that the weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power and the pilot chose not to apply carburetor heat after the engine initially lost power, it is likely that the engine lost power due to carburetor icing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.