Cessna 150 N23473

Summary

On 10 November 2016 at about 10:40 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N23473 was involved in an accident near Snow Hill, North 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

10 November 2016 at 10:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Snow Hill, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.4161, -77.8136

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N23473

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Knightdale → Kinston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Not Reported

NTSB number

ERA17LA045

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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 stated that he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane with no anomalies noted; the airplane had about 13 gallons of fuel. He departed on a personal cross-country flight and, about 35 minutes after takeoff while flying at 3,000 ft mean sea level, the engine suddenly lost total power. He immediately applied carburetor heat and left it activated for the remainder of the flight. His attempts to restore engine power were not successful. He turned toward a nearby airport but executed a forced landing in a field, during which the airplane nosed over. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed an adequate supply of uncontaminated fuel, and examination of the engine and engine systems revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Although the weather conditions were favorable for the formation of serious carburetor ice at cruise power setting, the pilot did not report a gradual reduction in power as would likely be expected with carburetor ice accrual over time at cruise power. Thus, the reason for the reported total loss of engine power could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airframe, engine, and engine systems did not reveal any evidence of mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.