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| NTSB Identification: CHI97LA179. The docket is stored in the (offline) NTSB Imaging System. |
| Accident occurred Monday, June 23, 1997 at CUMBERLAND, IN |
| Aircraft: Cessna A150M, registration: N9842J |
| Injuries: 2 Uninjured |
| Event: 20001208X08092 Status: Final Report Approved On Friday, January 30, 1998 |
| NTSB Preliminary Narrative (6120.19A) |
| On June 23, 1997, at 1930 eastern daylight time (edt), a Cessna A150M, N9842J, piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged when |
| it collided with the ground during an uncontrolled descent following a pilot-reported stall. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of |
| the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot and passenger reported no injuries. The flight |
| departed a restricted landing area near Cumberland, Indiana, at 1928 edt. |
| The pilot said the airplane's engine was not producing "...sufficient power to sustain flight..." after takeoff. He said the engine was running |
| rough during a turn the airplane made shortly after takeoff. He said he "...took evasive action to avoid a woods, a tree, and a barn. The airplane |
| was then force landed in a corn field." The airplane came to rest in a field containing two foot high corn. |
| During an interview with the pilot, he said the airplane was not climbing right because the engine was running rough. He said the airplane was |
| about 50 to 75 feet above the ground when he saw a barn in front of the airplane. He said he applied elevator back pressure to fly over the |
| barnafter which the airplane stalled and rolled to the left. He said he then applied forward elevator pressure and right rudder. The pilot said the |
| airplane collided with the ground at a 10 to 15 degree nose low angle in a shallow left bank. |
| The pilot said he did a pre-takeoff engine magneto check at 1,800 RPM. He said he did the magneto check by switching the magnetos from |
| "BOTH" to the "RIGHT" magneto, then to the "LEFT" magneto, returning the switch back to "BOTH." He said he noticed a little roughness during |
| the magneto check and leaned the mixture control. He said the roughness disappeared. The pilot said the engine guages were all in the green |
| during the takeoff and initial climbout. |
| According to an Indiana State Police accident report, a witness heard the engine sputtering and saw the airplane "...losing altitude before striking |
| the ground with the left wing." During an interview with the Federal Aviation Administration Principal Operations Inspector (POI), the pilot said |
| the airplane's engine was operating on the ground for about 5 minutes. According to the POI, the pilot stated the engine had idled about 2 |
| minutes before takeoff. |
| According to the POI, inspection of the airplane revealed the carburetor heat was in the "OFF" position, the throttle was in the "FULL" throttle |
| position, the mixture was full "RICH", and the fuel selector valve was in the "OFF" position. He said the engine had mechanical continuity |
| throughout and that both magnetos created spark when rotated. The POI said he observed black sooting in the carburetor's throat and on the |
| top spark plugs of cylinders' 1 and 3. He said the remainder of the spark plugs "...were found in good condition." The airplane's airframe and |
| powerplant logbooks showed its last annual was May 1, 1996. |
| The pilot said the outside air temperature was between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. About 30 minutes before the accident, Indianapolis |
| International Airport, Indianapolis, Indiana, reported the temperature/dewpoint as 80 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit respectively. This airport is |
| located about 25 miles west of the accident site. According to the carburetor icing chart found in FAA publication FAA-P-8740-24, N9842J was |
| operating in atmospheric conditions that would be conducive to serious carburetor icing with glide power. |
| N9842J's left wing was crushed aft between the leading edge and main spar from the wingtip to about the aileron's mid-span position. This area |
| was bent upward about 10 degrees. The right wingtip was crushed inward from the tip to the first wing rib inboard of the tip. The right main |
| landing gear and nose wheel assembly had separated from the airframe. The fuselage tail cone had partially separated from the fuselage at the |
| rear window. It was angled about 75 degrees to the left of the airplane's center line. |
| NTSB Final Narrative (6120.4) |
| The pilot noticed the engine wasn't producing '...sufficient power to sustain flight' during the initial climb after takeoff. He said the engine was |
| running rough during the climb. Also, he said the airplane stalled and rolled to the left shortly after he applied elevator back pressure to avoid a |
| barn in front of the airplane. The airplane collided with the ground in a nose low attitude, while in a shallow left bank. An on-scene investigation |
| revealed no mechanical anomaly with the airframe or engine that would have prevented normal flight. The throttle was found in the 'FULL' power |
| position, and the carburetor heat was in the 'OFF' position. The temperature (80 degrees F) and dew point (70 degrees F) were conducive to |
| carburetor icing. The carburetor throat and 2 spark plugs were sooted. |
| NTSB Probable Cause Narrative |
| the pilot's failure to use (or improper use of) carburetor heat. Factors associated with the accident were: carburetor icing (weather) conditions, |
| and the lack of airspeed (or altitude) to clear an obstruction (barn) without stalling the airplane. |
| Occurrences and Sequence of Events |
| Occurrence: 1, LOSS OF ENGINE POWER(PARTIAL) - NONMECHANICAL |
| Phase of Operation: TAKEOFF - INITIAL CLIMB |
| Sequence of Events for Occurrence Number: 1 |
| 1 ( Factor ) WEATHER CONDITION / CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS / (0) |
| 2 ( Cause ) CARBURETOR HEAT / NOT USED / PILOT IN COMMAND |
| 3 ( Cause ) FUEL SYSTEM, CARBURETOR / ICE / (0) |
| Occurrence: 2, FORCED LANDING |
| Phase of Operation: EMERGENCY DESCENT/LANDING |
| Occurrence: 3, LOSS OF CONTROL - IN FLIGHT |
| Phase of Operation: EMERGENCY DESCENT/LANDING |
| Sequence of Events for Occurrence Number: 3 |
| 1 (Finding) TERRAIN CONDITIONS / HIGH OBSTRUCTION(S) / (0) |
| 2 (Finding) MANEUVER TO AVOID OBSTRUCTIONS / ATTEMPTED / PILOT IN COMMAND |
| 3 ( Factor ) AIRSPEED / INADEQUATE / |
| 4 ( Factor ) STALL / / |
| Occurrence: 4, IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN/WATER |
| Phase of Operation: EMERGENCY LANDING |
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