Cessna 172 N7267A

Summary

On 13 October 2019 at about 00:20 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N7267A was involved in an accident near Palmer, Alaska, 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

13 October 2019 at 00:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Palmer, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.4503, -148.6833

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N7267A

Category

Airplane

Year built

1956

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palmer → Birchwood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC20LA002

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's delayed application of carburetor heat in weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power, a precautionary landing, and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, about 15 minutes after departure, the engine began to run rough and experienced a partial loss of power. He provided conflicting statements about the phase of flight when this occurred; he was either in cruise flight or was flying at a reduced power setting during a low approach to a remote site. After completing emergency engine procedures, which included applying carburetor heat, the pilot was unable to restore engine power and selected an all-terrain vehicle trail as a forced landing site. Just before touchdown, when the airplane was about 15 ft above the ground, the left wing struck a tree, and the airplane yawed left and touched down in a nose-low, off-center angle. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the engine, including a test run, revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Weather conditions about 15 nautical miles from the accident site were conducive for carburetor icing at cruise power and serious icing at glide power. The pilot only reported applying carburetor heat to restore engine power. Therefore, it is likely that carburetor ice accumulated before he applied the heat, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power. Further, the delayed application of carburetor heat was insufficient to melt the ice and restore power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.