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| NTSB Identification: NYC98LA078. The docket is stored in the (offline) NTSB Imaging System. |
| Accident occurred Tuesday, March 17, 1998 at LOCKPORT, NY |
| Aircraft: Cessna 150, registration: N704GP |
| Injuries: 2 Uninjured |
| Event: 20001211X09763 Status: Final Report Approved On Thursday, February 15, 2001 |
| NTSB Preliminary Narrative (6120.19A) |
| On March 17, 1998, about 1300 eastern standard time, a Cessna 150, N704GP, was substantially damaged during a forced landing, while on |
| approach to the North Buffalo Suburban Airport (0G0), Lockport, New York. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. |
| Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. |
| In a telephone interview and written statements, the pilot said he was returning from a pleasure flight in the Rochester, New York, area. At |
| 7,000 feet MSL, in the vicinity of the Genesse County Airport (GVQ), Batavia, New York, the airplane's engine experienced a decrease in RPM |
| and began to run rough. The pilot added carburetor heat and the RPM increased. The pilot said removal of the carburetor heat caused a |
| reoccurrence of the engine roughness, so he reapplied and maintained full carburetor heat. However, after a few moments the engine began to |
| run rough again. The engine continued to run rough as the airplane passed over the Akron Airport (9G3), Akron, New York, at an altitude of |
| about 5,000 feet. The pilot said he considered landing at 9G3, but based on his altitude and distance from 0G0, he elected to continue to his |
| destination. He further stated: |
| "....Reached about 2500-2600 MSL North of [0G0] and began a slow spiral with full carburetor heat to enter a left downwind leg of the pattern at |
| 1,400. Engine running rougher, so took base leg...Still running rough with full carburetor heat. Announced 'final.' Saw I couldn't clear trees at |
| west end of runway. Banked gently to the left to land in adjacent field...total power failure at about 100 feet AGL. Apparently right wing caught |
| high hedge, causing left wing tip to strike ground. Aircraft struck ground, buckling nose wheel...." |
| The wreckage was examined by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector. According to the FAA Inspector, the airplane came to rest |
| approximately 1/2 mile west and slightly north of the extended center line of the runway. Examination of the wreckage did not revealed any |
| pre-impact abnormalities of the airframe or engine. |
| The temperature and dewpoint reported at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF), about 10 miles south of 0G0, and the Greater |
| Rochester International Airport, about 45 miles east of 0G0, were 37 and 18 degrees F; and 43 and 21 degrees F, respectively. |
| A carburetor icing probability chart was reviewed using the conditions reported at BUF and ROC. The chart revealed that the weather |
| conditions were at the lower limit of the "Icing- Glide and Cruise Power" area of the chart. |
| FAA publication, AC 61-23C, Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge; Chapter 2 - Airplanes and Engines; Engine Operation; Carburetor |
| System; Carburetor Icing, stated: |
| "...The vaporization of fuel, combined with the expansion of air as it flows through the carburetor, causes a sudden cooling of the [fuel/air] |
| mixture. The temperature of the air passing through the carburetor may drop significantly within a fraction of a second. Water vapor in the air is |
| 'squeezed out' by this cooling and, if the temperature in the carburetor reaches 0 degrees C (32 degrees F) or below, the moisture will be |
| deposited as frost or ice inside the carburetor passages. Even a slight accumulation of this deposit will reduce power and may lead to complete |
| engine failure..." |
| NTSB Final Narrative (6120.4) |
| While in cruise flight, the airplane's engine experienced a decrease in RPM and began to run rough. The pilot added carburetor heat and the RPM |
| increased. When the pilot removed the carburetor heat the engine began to run rough again, so he reapplied and maintained full carburetor |
| heat. However, after a few moments, the engine began to run rough again. The pilot said he reached his destination airport at an altitude of |
| about 2,500-2,600 feet and began a slow spiral to enter the traffic pattern at 1,400 feet. The engine began to run rougher while in the traffic |
| pattern and the engine lost power during the final approach. The airplane crashed about 1/2 mile from the approach end of the runway. |
| Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any pre-impact failures of the airframe or engine. The temperature and dewpoint reported at airports |
| about 10 miles south, and about 45 miles east of the accident site, were 37 and 18 degrees F; and 43 and 21 degrees F, respectively . A |
| carburetor icing probability chart was reviewed and revealed that the weather conditions were at the lower limit of the 'Icing- Glide and Cruise |
| Power' area of the chart. |
| NTSB Probable Cause Narrative |
| The pilot's misjudgment of altitude and distance during a forced landing in the traffic pattern. A factor in the accident was the carburetor icing |
| Occurrences and Sequence of Events |
| Occurrence: 1, LOSS OF ENGINE POWER |
| Phase of Operation: APPROACH - VFR PATTERN - FINAL APPROACH |
| Sequence of Events for Occurrence Number: 1 |
| 1 ( Factor ) WEATHER CONDITION / CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS / (0) |
| Occurrence: 2, FORCED LANDING |
| Phase of Operation: DESCENT - EMERGENCY |
| Occurrence: 3, IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH OBJECT |
| Phase of Operation: EMERGENCY LANDING |
| Sequence of Events for Occurrence Number: 3 |
| 1 (Finding) OBJECT / TREE(S) / (0) |
| 2 ( Cause ) DISTANCE/ALTITUDE / MISJUDGED / PILOT IN COMMAND |
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