On Jan. 11, 2023, a Cessna 150H, N22859 was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Farington Field Airport (K01) in Auburn, Nebraska.
The flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured.
According to Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) information, the airplane departed Lincoln Airport (KLNK) in Lincoln, Nebraska, about 18:45 and climbed to 3,500 feet mean sea level (msl).
About six miles northwest of K01, the airplane began a descent and the last ADS-B information captured at 19:22:26 showed the airplane about 1.1 miles west of K01 at 105 knots groundspeed and about 1,900 feet msl.
The airplane crashed in a field without crops while on a southeasterly heading, about 1.2 miles south of the Runway 34 threshold at K01.
On the evening of the accident, United States Naval Observatory data indicated sunset occurred at 17:17, the end of civil twilight was at 17:47, and moonrise was at 21:53 (after the accident). The accident site was surrounded by farm fields with an absence of lighting.
According to FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, Carburetor Icing Prevention, the probability of carburetor icing during the weather conditions of the accident was serious at cruise power.
Ground impressions of the landing gear and crushing of the front fuselage (nose area) were consistent with a near wings level and moderate nose down attitude during impact.
All components of the airplane were observed at the impact site. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The wing flaps and wing flap actuator were both observed in the retracted position. Fuel drained from both wing tanks and the fuel bowl contained no indications of water or sediment.
The propeller spinner was crushed aft, with minimal rotational damage. Both propeller blades were bent aft, with minimal rotational scoring or polishing. The throttle control was observed in a mid-position and was bent, and the mixture control was near the full forward (rich) position. The carburetor heat control was observed in the full forward (off) position.
The flight instructor was issued his initial flight instructor certificate on Aug. 6, 2022, and a flight instructor instrument airplane rating on Nov. 22, 2022. The flight instructor had accumulated about 36 total flight hours at night, and about 12 flight hours instructing students at night.
Probable Cause: The flight instructor’s failure to maintain control after a loss of engine power due to carburetor icing while maneuvering for forced landing in dark night visual meteorological conditions.
To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.
This January 2023 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
retired CFI here / unfortunately that CFI may have been rattled by this emergency / I can personally tell you that sheer panic will cloud your thinking / panic MUST be controlled / failure to turn on landing lights would seem to indicate panic induced ‘cloudy” thinking / this should have been a survivable mishap / if they descended into a black abyss with NO visual cues the CFI could at least “guesstimate” the AGL based upon field elevation they took off from; to be ready to flare the aircraft / my guess is “low” time & panic were tragic factors here / I have had two extreme stress close calls in my short career & can tell you: controlling the panic factor can be TOUGH but crucial in surviving bad events / NEVER give up until the event is over / RIP guys; hopefully you are in a better place; may GOD be with you
Forced landing —— dark night conditions —- and ZERO flap ?
It is not to say that being a Cessna requires carb heat, but the fact that most Cessna’s have a Continental type engine, that is why it needs carb heat not because its a Cessna, as the person noted.
It is not because they have a “Continental type engine” that Cessna’s tend to need carb heat before other aircraft. It is a design issue for where the carb is placed relative to heat sources. I’ve had automobiles that would vapor lock due to heat. And they were just about as cantanerous as an IO540 in a Piper Cherokee type design– when doing a hot start.
Just say’n’.
What troubles me about this crash is that the carb heat was in the off position. This was a Cessna 15x. Back in the day when I was learning to fly, we were taught to ALWAYS add carb heat before power reduction in any Cessna. Summer or winter or in between, carb heat on before reducing power. And if after flying Pipers or injected aircraft, when you come back to Cessnas, you have to remember this. While Pipers are not as susceptible to icing as Cessnas, you have to put in some carb heat on power reduction. Better to run a bit rich than lose an engine from ice.
Secondly, if the landing light was on (and functional), the CFI should have recognized the ground coming up, and attempted to do a flare in ground effect rather than diving into the dirt. They should have had some idea of what setting to use for the altimeter. So they should have had some idea of how high they were above ground level. This CFI was also an II (Instrument Instructor). Use of Instrument flight techniques flying at night should have been second nature for this instructor.
I hate seeing low time instructors getting into problems like this.
This is what bothers me:
NTSB Aircraft Examination: “All light switches were observed to be in the off position.”
That included ALL exterior lights: rotating beacon, position, and landing lights.
“Flight instructors failure to pull off a miracle after they both failed to use carb heat in Nebraska after dark.”
One flight instructor & one student pilot.