Cessna 182 — Canoncito, NM

What happened

The pilot was conducting a cross-country flight when the airplane had a loss of engine power while descending through an area of precipitation and icing conditions. He was unable to restore normal engine operation using carburetor heat, which resulted in a forced landing. The airplane struck the terrain in a right wing down attitude and cartwheeled upon impact. Shortly after the accident, an individual observed several pieces of structural ice on the ground below the airplane’s left wing leading edge.

After the accident, the engine demonstrated the ability to produce rated horsepower during an engine test. However, the carburetor heat control cable was found fractured and exhibited evidence of prolonged polishing wear against the cable sheathing. It is likely that the carburetor heat control cable had failed in overstress due to its reduced cross section from the polishing wear. Additionally, based on contaminants observed on the cable and fracture surfaces, the carburetor heat control cable had been fractured for an extended period before the flight.

The airplane was not approved for flight in known icing conditions; however, if inadvertently flown in icing conditions, the carburetor heat should be engaged to avoid a loss of engine power due to induction air filter icing and/or carburetor icing. It is likely the loss of engine power during the flight was due to an accumulation of ice on the induction air filter and/or to the carburetor, and the pilot was unable to restore engine power because the fractured control cable had rendered the carburetor heat inoperative. According to the airplane’s operating handbook, pilots are to verify the proper operation of the carburetor heat during an engine runup before each flight.

A review of the airplane’s flight track and weather data indicated the airplane had flown through areas of precipitation that were consistent with freezing drizzle and supercooled liquid water droplets favorable for structural icing conditions. There was no record that pilot had received a weather briefing before the flight and, as such, his awareness of the icing conditions before the flight could not be determined.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.