Event ANC20LA060

Factual narrative

On June 15, 2020, about 1030 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 180, N3186D, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that, about 1,200 ft above ground level, the engine lost all power on approach to the float-pond at Fairbanks International Airport (FAI), Fairbanks, Alaska. He added that the propeller continued to windmill and that there were no unusual noises or notable changes. He then applied throttle to no effect, confirmed a full rich mixture, and focused on the landing. Subsequently, the float-equipped airplane landed short of the float-pond and came to rest nose down, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. All occupants were able to egress with no further incident. The pilot reported that he had departed from a lake about 190 miles away with 42 gallons of fuel onboard, and that at the time of the accident, the airplane had about 16 gallons of fuel remaining. He added that he did not recall if he had applied carburetor heat during the approach to land prior to the loss of engine power. A picture supplied of the airplane by the Airport Police and Fire showed that the carburetor heat was found not applied. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector examined the airplane after recovery and did not observe any abnormalities. He stated that about 15.5 gallons of “clean blue fuel” was drained from the airplane. He added that there was fuel in the firewall drain sump; and two small “pearls” of water were observed in the fuel collection cup. An external tank was installed on the airframe to provide a fuel source and a postaccident engine run revealed no anomalies. The weather observation station located at the accident airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the temperature was 66.2°F and the dew point was 55.4°F. According to the carburetor icing-probability chart located in the FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, the accident flight would have been operating in conditions conducive to “serious icing in glide power.” During landing, while at about 1,200 ft above ground level, the airplane’s engine lost all power. Subsequently, the airplane landed short of the lake on the land and came to rest nosed down. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. An FAA postaccident examination revealed that about 15.5 gallons of clean blue fuel was drained from the airplane, and that there was fuel in the firewall drain sump. It was noted that two small “pearls” of water were observed in the fuel collection cup. A picture supplied of the airplane after the accident showed that the carburetor heat was found not applied. The engine was test run and revealed no mechanical failure or malfunctions. The pilot reported that he did not recall if he had applied carburetor heat during the approach to land prior to the loss of engine power. The temperature and dew point were entered into a carburetor icing probability chart, which coincided with the "serious icing-glide power" category. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Pilot
• — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Ice/rain protection system-Intake anti-ice, deice-Not used/operated
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Effect on equipment