Cessna 150M N704HQ

Summary

On 4 November 2021 at about 23:30 local time, a Cessna 150M registered N704HQ was involved in an accident near Margarettsville, North Carolina, 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

4 November 2021 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Margarettsville, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

36.5328, -77.3473

Aircraft

Cessna 150M

Registration

N704HQ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Augustine → Emporia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA22LA046

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s delayed application of carburetor heat during the descent, which resulted in a total 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

During a flight at night and in visual meteorological conditions, after descending to about 1,600 ft mean sea level on a localizer approach, the engine began to “sputter.” The pilot applied the carburetor heat, and the engine “got a little surge of power” and he pushed the carburetor heat back in (OFF). The engine sputtered again, and he re-applied the carburetor heat. He then raised the nose to gain altitude, and the engine stopped completely. The pilot attempted to perform a forced landing to a road; however, the airplane came to rest in a tree canopy about 10 nautical miles southeast of the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the right aileron, and the horizontal stabilizers. A postaccident examination of the wreckage, and a test run of the airplane’s engine, revealed no evidence of pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Review of weather conditions indicated the potential for serious icing at cruise power for the reported temperature and dew point; therefore, it is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of carburetor ice.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.