What happened
The pilot was operating a Cessna at 600 feet MSL while crossing a body of water when a loss of engine RPM was observed. In response, the pilot applied carburetor heat and switched the fuel source from the right wing tank to the left wing tank. Although the engine RPM increased briefly, the engine subsequently quit.
The pilot transitioned toward land to perform an emergency landing. During the landing sequence, the aircraft struck a dirt berm, which caused the left main landing gear to collapse and resulted in a nose-over of the aircraft. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation
Post-accident examination of the fuel selector valve confirmed that the left wing tank was selected at the time of the event. Investigators found no usable fuel remaining in the left wing tank, and no evidence of a fuel leak was identified.
Meteorological conditions at the time included a temperature of 9 degrees Celsius and a dew point of 7 degrees Celsius, with visible moisture present. According to carburetor icing probability charts, these conditions indicated a high risk of carburetor icing at any power setting.