CROSS PLAINS, WI, USA
N7969U
CESSNA 172F
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS CRUISING AT 5,000 MSL AND REDUCED THE ENGINE RPM TO BETWEEN 1,000 AND 1,200 DURING A DESCENT TO 2,000 MSL. WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO LEVEL OFF WITH POWER THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND. HE MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A ROUGH/UNEVEN FIELD. HE TOLD AN INSPECTOR FROM THE FAA THAT HE PUMPED THE THROTTLE AND MOVED THE MIXTURE TO RICH, BUT HE DID NOT USE THE CARBURETOR HEAT. A WEATHER REPORTING STATION TEN MILES EAST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS REPORTING A TEMPERATURE OF 60 DEGREES (F) AND A DEW POINT OF 51 DEGREES (F), AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. CONDITIONS WERE CONDUCIVE TO CARBURETOR ICING.
On October 22, 1994, at 1040 central daylight time, a Cessna 172F, N7969U, registered to Daniel F. Meger of Waterford, Wisconsin, and operated by a private pilot, lost engine power when the pilot attempted to level off after a descent. A forced landing in a field near Cross Plains, Wisconsin, resulted in substantial damage to the airplane when it nosed over. The pilot reported no injuries. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No fight plan was on file. The local flight departed Waukesha, Wisconsin, at 0930. The pilot stated that he was cruising at 5,000 feet mean sea level (msl) and started a descent by reducing the power to 1,000 to 1,200 rpm. When he attempted to level off at 2,000 feet msl the engine did not respond. He told an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that he had pumped the throttle and adjusted the mixture to rich, but did not use the carburetor heat. The nearest weather reporting station was at Madison, Wisconsin, ten miles east of the accident site. An observation five minutes prior to the accident showed the temperature to be 68 degrees (F) and the dew point as 51 degrees (F). An "Icing Probability Curves" chart from the Airmen's Information Manual is attached to this report. Subsequent to the accident the airplane was inspected by the FAA and the engine was test run. A report of that inspection is attached to this report. No anomalies were noted and the engine functioned.
the pilot's failure to use carburetor heat. Factors were carburetor icing conditions and rough/uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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