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MKC89LA051

1989-01-14 · CLARION, Iowa, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport CAV

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PROPERLY USE THE CARBURETOR HEAT DURING ICING CONDITIONS RESULTING IN CARBURETOR ICE FORMATION AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.

Factual narrative

DURING A PERSONAL CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE PILOT SAID THE ENGINE LOST POWER. AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED ON A RURAL GRAVEL ROAD, AND DURING THE ROLL-OUT, A ROAD SIGN WAS STRUCK CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION, LACK OF FUEL, OR FUEL CONTAMINATION. METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WERE FAVORABLE FOR CARBURETOR ICING ACCORDING TO THE 'ICING PROBABILITY CHARTS.' TEMPERATURE WAS 36 DEGS F AND DEWPOINT WAS 25 DEGS F. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_MKC89LA051.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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