Accident Overview
On September 18, 2010, at 1215 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172D, registration N2483Y, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing near Palm Beach, Florida. The private pilot and a passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions were reported, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight.
The flight had departed Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) in West Palm Beach, Florida, and was destined for Boca Raton Airport (BCT) in Boca Raton, Florida. The operation was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Pilot's Account
According to the pilot, he was flying northbound at an altitude of 1,200 feet, approximately three-quarters of a mile from the coastline, when the engine began to "sputter." He verified that the fuel selector was in the "both" position, the mixture control was set to rich, and he checked the throttle position. The pilot stated that the throttle did not respond to control inputs and seemed "dead." When asked, he could not recall whether he had activated the carburetor heat.
The pilot then selected an unpopulated section of the beach and performed a soft field landing. During the landing, the left wing tip struck the ground as the nose landing gear dug into the soft sand, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing.
Post-Accident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane after the accident. A test-run of the engine revealed no anomalies. Additionally, the inspector functionally tested the throttle and carburetor heat operation, both of which functioned normally with no issues observed.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1962 and equipped with a 145-horsepower Teledyne-Continental Motors O-300 reciprocating engine. It was a four-place, all-metal, high-wing, single-engine, cantilever monoplane with fixed tricycle landing gear.
Weather Conditions
At 1053, weather reported at Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), located 5 nautical miles southwest of the accident site, included winds from 080 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 17 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; scattered clouds at 3,500 feet and broken clouds at 5,500 feet; temperature 31°C, dewpoint 21°C; altimeter setting 29.99 inches of mercury.
Interpolation of an FAA carburetor icing probability chart indicated potential for serious icing at glide power settings given the temperature and dewpoint conditions.