Cessna 180K N77NP

Summary

On 23 March 2018 at about 23:00 local time, a Cessna 180K registered N77NP was involved in an accident near Canton, Mississippi, 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

23 March 2018 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Canton, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

32.6225, -90.1031

Aircraft

Cessna 180K

Registration

N77NP

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Canton → Canton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA115

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to land the airplane with a tailwind, which led to a runway excursion. Contributing to the pilot's decision to land with a tailwind was a partial loss of engine power due to his failure to effectively use carburetor heat in conditions conducive to the formation of carburetor ice.

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 was returning to the airstrip after a 20-minute flight over a river at 2,000 ft mean sea level when the engine began accumulating carburetor ice and began to run roughly. He applied carburetor heat, but the engine continued to run roughly. Since the pilot was near the intended landing point, he attempted to land with about 5 to 7 knots of tailwind. The airplane continued past the departure end of the airstrip and impacted trees before coming to rest in the upright position. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, vertical stabilizer, rudder, and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of carburetor ice at glide and cruise power. It is likely that the engine initially lost partial power after accumulating carburetor ice. The pilot’s application of carburetor heat was ineffective at restoring engine power before the pilot decided to land the airplane with a tailwind.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.