Event ERA19TA051

Factual narrative

On November 16, 2018, about 1015 eastern standard time, a Cessna 162, N70252, operated by Lanier Flight Center, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a field near Franklin, North Carolina. The sport pilot received minor injuries. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight that originated from Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport (GVL), Gainesville, Georgia, about 0900. The flight was destined to Macon County Airport (1A5), Franklin, North Carolina. The sport pilot reported that near the destination airport, he reduced engine rpm from 2,350 to 2,200 and began a slow descent from cruise altitude of 3,500 ft mean sea level (msl) to traffic pattern altitude of 2,800 ft msl. The carburetor heat was not on at that time and about 2 minutes later, he became aware that the engine had lost all power without any roughness or sputtering. The sport pilot positioned the carburetor heat to on, mixture to full rich, and confirmed the fuel shut-off valve was not engaged; however, he was unable to restart the engine. During a forced landing to a field, the right wing struck a fence and the airplane came to rest inverted. The sport pilot further stated that after the accident, the operator inspected the airplane. Adequate fuel remained onboard and was absent of contamination. Additionally, no preimpact mechanical malfunctions were identified with the airframe or engine. The operator subsequently attempted a test-run of the engine on the airframe and the engine started and ran normally. The sport pilot added that he did not have a full understanding of the potentially subtle nature of carburetor ice. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed damage to the right wing and fuselage. The inspector confirmed that at his request, the operator completed a successful test-run of the engine on the airframe. The recorded weather at the destination airport, at 1020, included a temperature of 5° C and a dewpoint of 0° C. Review of an FAA carburetor icing chart for the given conditions revealed "Serious icing (cruise power)." Review of a pilot operating handbook for the make and model airplane revealed "…Descent…5. CARB HEAT Control Know – ON (as required)…." The sport pilot reported that, while conducting a personal, cross-country flight and while nearing the destination airport, he reduced the engine rpm from 2,350 to 2,200 and began a slow descent from a cruise altitude of 3,500 ft mean sea level (msl) to a traffic pattern altitude of 2,800 ft msl. He added that the carburetor heat was not on at that time, and that, about 2 minutes later, he noticed that the engine had lost all power without any roughness or sputtering. The pilot turned on the carburetor heat, positioned the mixture to full rich, and confirmed that the fuel shutoff valve was not engaged; however, the engine did not respond, so he subsequently conducted a forced landing to a field, during which the right wing struck a fence, and the airplane came to rest inverted.   Postaccident examination of the airplane and the engine revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation, and the engine was successfully test run. The atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at cruise power, and the Pilot's Operating Handbook Descent Checklist instructed pilots to apply carburetor heat, as required, during descent. Therefore, it is likely that carburetor ice accumulated during cruise flight and that the pilot applied the carburetor heat too late to melt the ice, which resulted in the loss of engine power. The pilot stated that he did not fully understand the potentially subtle nature of carburetor ice. 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).

• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine fuel and control-Fuel control/carburetor-Not specified - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Effect on operation - C