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| NTSB Identification: LAX97LA033. The docket is stored in the (offline) NTSB Imaging System. |
| Accident occurred Friday, November 01, 1996 at LAKE HAVASU, AZ |
| Aircraft: Cessna 150M, registration: N2825V |
| Injuries: 1 Uninjured |
| Event: 20001208X07064 Status: Final Report Approved On Thursday, August 21, 1997 |
| NTSB Preliminary Narrative (6120.19A) |
| On November 1, 1996, at 2000 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 150M, N2825V, collided with hilly desert terrain during a night forced |
| landing attempt near Lake Havasu, Arizona. The forced landing was precipitated by a loss of engine power as the aircraft was in an en route |
| descent for landing at the Lake Havasu airport. The aircraft was owned and operated by the certificated commercial pilot and was on a |
| personal cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was destroyed in |
| the collision sequence and postcrash fire. The pilot was not injured. The flight originated at Camarillo, California, on the day of the accident at |
| 1525 Pacific standard time as a non-stop flight to Lake Havasu. |
| The pilot stated in his written report that "I filled the oil tank to capacity (6 qts.) and taxied to the self service fuel island where I topped the fuel |
| tanks" prior to departure from Camarillo. "I know the tanks would hold no more[,] because I overflowed both tanks and had to do a slight |
| clean-up on the top of the wings." |
| The pilot stated that he used the flight manual performance charts to calculate a predicted fuel burn of 4.3 gallons per hour for the planned 3 |
| hours 30 minutes en route leg of the flight to Lake Havasu. The en route leg was to be flown at 2400 rpm at 5,500 feet msl. The total estimated |
| fuel burn of slightly less than 17 gallons also included 1.6 gallons of fuel needed for takeoff and climb operations. The pilot indicated that his fuel |
| calculations factored in a forecasted 15 to 20 knot quartering headwind along his route of flight. Based upon an estimated total fuel burn of 17 |
| gallons out of 22.5 gallons of fuel available, the pilot reported that "I had a reserve of 5 1/2 [gallons,] or almost an hour and a half of flight time." |
| The pilot reported that after departure from Camarillo, "I used the up drafts . . . to climb 600 - 700 feet a minute . . . the rest of the climb and the |
| flight were uneventful, I adjusted the mixture control for best rpm per the operating handbook." The pilot reported that later in the trip, "I evaluated |
| my flight and determined everything was going exactly as planned." As the aircraft flew over the Needles, California, airport, the pilot noticed |
| that the fuel gage on the left fuel tank "had the needle on the empty mark and the gage on the right read over 1/4 full." At that point, the pilot |
| reviewed the flight plan "and determined that I should have my planned reserve left, and the fuel island was closed at Needles airport so I |
| continued to the Havasu airport." |
| As the aircraft neared the Lake Havasu airport, the pilot began a power on en route cruise descent at 200 feet per minute. Shortly thereafter, |
| the engine rpm "dropped slightly for 4-5 seconds and then stopped. The engine was rotating but was not pulling. I went to best glide speed of |
| 70 mph and pulled the [carburetor] heat out. I then performed the emergency checklist." The pilot said he was unable to restart the engine and |
| set up for a night forced landing in the desert. He stated that he could not see terrain features until the aircraft was very near the surface. In |
| the aircraft landing light illumination area, he observed that the aircraft was heading for a hill and used the aircraft speed energy to balloon over |
| the hill. Another hill was behind the first one and the aircraft hit the hillside in a nose high landing attitude and the nose gear broke off. As the |
| pilot was securing the aircraft he observed fire in the engine compartment and left the aircraft. The postcrash fire consumed the aircraft. |
| The pilot reported that he just purchased the aircraft, which had been largely inactive for 2 years while sitting on an airport ramp near the ocean. |
| Six months and 34 flight hours had elapsed since the last annual inspection. Additionally, the pilot reported that for years, he has owned a |
| Cessna 172 with a Lycoming engine, which traditionally has not required the use of carburetor heat. |
| The engine was examined after recovery by an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector from the Scottsdale, Arizona, |
| Flight Standards District Office with technical assistance provided by a representative from Teledyne Continental Motors. No preimpact |
| discrepancies were identified during the examination. Reports from both individuals are attached. |
| According to a National Weather Service observation taken at approximately the same time as the accident occurred, the sky was clear, the |
| temperature was 67degrees Fahrenheit, and the dew point 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Review of a carburetor icing probability chart revealed that |
| the temperature/dew point was in a range of the graph annotated "moderate icing cruise power --- serious icing glide power." |
| NTSB Final Narrative (6120.4) |
| The aircraft was fully serviced with 22.5 gallons of fuel before flight, and the pilot calculated that slightly less than 17 gallons would be needed. |
| Approaching the destination, the pilot began a power-on, en route, cruise descent at 200 feet per minute. Shortly thereafter, the engine rpm |
| 'dropped slightly for 4-5 seconds,' and then the enigne lost power. The pilot said he was unable to restart the engine, and he prepared for a |
| night forced landing in the desert. Subsequently, the aircraft hit a hillside in a nose high landing attitude, and the nose gear broke off. As the pilot |
| was securing the aircraft, he observed fire in the engine compartment. Subsequently, a postcrash fire consumed the aircraft. During |
| examination of the engine by an FAA airworthiness inspector, no preimpact discrepancy was identified. According to a current weather |
| observation, the sky was clear, the temperature was 67 degrees, and the dew point was 41 degrees. Review of a carburetor icing probability |
| chart showed moderate icing at cruise power and serious icing at glide power. |
| NTSB Probable Cause Narrative |
| carburetor ice, and failure of the pilot to use carburetor heat, which resulted in loss of engine power. Factors relating to the accident were: |
| carburetor icing conditions, darkness, and the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing. |
| Occurrences and Sequence of Events |
| Occurrence: 1, LOSS OF ENGINE POWER(TOTAL) - NONMECHANICAL |
| Phase of Operation: DESCENT - NORMAL |
| Sequence of Events for Occurrence Number: 1 |
| 1 ( Factor ) WEATHER CONDITION / CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS / (0) |
| 2 ( Cause ) FUEL SYSTEM, CARBURETOR / ICE / (0) |
| 3 ( Cause ) CARBURETOR HEAT / NOT USED / PILOT IN COMMAND |
| Occurrence: 2, FORCED LANDING |
| Phase of Operation: EMERGENCY DESCENT/LANDING |
| Occurrence: 3, IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN/WATER |
| Phase of Operation: EMERGENCY LANDING |
| Sequence of Events for Occurrence Number: 3 |
| 1 ( Factor ) LIGHT CONDITION / DARK NIGHT / (0) |
| 2 ( Factor ) TERRAIN CONDITIONS / NONE SUITABLE / (0) |
| 3 ( Factor ) TERRAIN CONDITIONS / MOUNTAINOUS/HILLY / (0) |
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