Mechanical & Engine Failure · NTSB WPR11FA120
AERONCA O-58C — San Luis Obispo, CA
| Date | February 3, 2011 |
| Location | San Luis Obispo, CA |
| Aircraft | AERONCA O-58C |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Emergency descent Off-field or emergency landing |
| Pilot age | 66 |
| Pilot total time | 313 hrs · Low time |
| Time in type | 20 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Contributed to outcome - C
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Ice/rain protection system-Intake anti-ice, deice-Not used/operated - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot - C
What happened
The airplane was in cruise flight at 3,500 feet mean sea level when the engine lost power. The pilot restarted the engine, and it ran for about 20 seconds before again losing power. He applied carburetor heat, but the cycle of losing power and restarting for a few seconds occurred several times. The pilot attempted to land in a field, but collided with trees at the edge of the field. There was no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction found during a postaccident examination of the airframe and engine. The meteorological conditions at the time of the accident were conductive to serious carburetor icing at cruise power. Although the pilot applied carburetor heat after the initial power loss, the engine likely did not run long enough to melt the ice and restore power.