Cessna 150 N3795J

Summary

On 11 April 2019 at about 18:30 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N3795J was involved in an accident near Fulton, New York, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 April 2019 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Fulton, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Oswego County (FZY)

Coordinates

43.3292, -76.4139

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N3795J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Malone → Fulton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19LA151

1 person was seriously injured.

A total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing. Contributing was the pilot’s failure to leave the carburetor heat on fully after his initial application of carburetor heat.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After descending with the engine power above 2,000 rpm, the pilot entered the traffic pattern for the destination airport. Just after turning onto the base leg of the pattern, the pilot applied the carburetor heat and the engine “faltered” and lost partial power. The pilot then deactivated the carburetor heat, and the engine regained some power. He reapplied the carburetor heat, and the engine stopped. He attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. While performing a forced landing to a road, the right wing impacted a utility pole and the airplane rolled over and sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were favorable for carburetor icing at altitude and at the surface. It is likely that carburetor ice developed during the descent; when the pilot applied the carburetor heat while in the traffic pattern, the ice began to melt, which introduced water into the engine intake and resulted in the engine losing partial power. The pilot’s subsequent cycling of the carburetor heat at a relatively low power setting likely resulted in the total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.