Incident Overview
The pilot of an airplane on a planned flight to a remote village for a census survey encountered icing conditions en route. At 6,500 feet mean sea level (MSL), the pilot reported clear icing and freezing rain. He climbed to 8,500 feet MSL to exit the conditions. A layer of stratus clouds initially obscured the village, but after passing the village, the runway became visible.
Descent and Power Loss
The pilot executed a rapid, low power descent for landing. While entering a left base for the runway, he applied carburetor heat approximately 500 feet above ground level (AGL). Shortly thereafter, the engine experienced a sudden loss of 80 to 100 percent of its power.
Emergency Landing
The pilot performed an emergency landing on an airport access road that ran parallel to the runway. However, the airplane was unable to stop before colliding with a wooden post and a parked airplane.
Weather Conditions
The pilot noted that the cloud cover was consistent with a narrow temperature/dew point spread, which contributed to the icing conditions encountered during the flight.