Accident Overview
On March 20, 2015, at approximately 0830 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150F, registration N8254S, experienced a total loss of engine power near Grass Roots Airpark (06FD) in Masscotte, Florida. The private pilot, who was not instrument rated, performed an off-airport forced landing to a wooded area and was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, empennage, and fuselage. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the flight destined for Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM) in Orlando, Florida. The airplane was operated by a private individual under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight, having departed around 0815.
Witness Accounts
According to a witness, the airplane taxied to the end of runway 36, where visibility was limited due to fog. The witness heard the airplane depart to the north at about 0815. After the accident, the witness spoke with the pilot, who stated that after departure the engine sputtered, came back up, and then quit. Another witness reported that the pilot said he unsuccessfully attempted to restart the engine. The airplane subsequently landed in woods approximately half a mile from the airport.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating but no instrument rating. His FAA third-class medical certificate, issued on December 1, 2012, required corrective lenses. He reported 2,400 total flight hours, with 400 hours in the same make and model. The airplane, manufactured in 1965, was registered to the pilot/owner in 2012 and was equipped with a Continental Motors O-200-A, 100-hp engine. According to the pilot, the most recent annual inspection was completed on March 16, 2014, at 3,513.8 hours in-service.
Wreckage and Engine Examination
An FAA inspector examined the wreckage, which was found in a wooded area about half a mile northeast of the runway. The left fuel tank was ruptured, leaking an undetermined amount of automobile gas, while the right fuel tank was intact with an undetermined amount of automobile gas. Engine examination revealed continuity and thumb compression on all cylinders. Both magnetos sparked on all towers with no anomalies. Spark plugs were light grey in color with no issues. The carburetor was fractured from the engine but showed no anomalies, and the fuel inlet screen was clear of debris.
Weather Information
The airport was privately owned with no control tower, featuring a single turf runway (18/36) 3,400 feet long and 120 feet wide, at an elevation of about 105 feet MSL, surrounded by open pasture and farmland. The 0835 recorded weather at Leesburg International Airport (LEE), about 11 miles north, included calm wind, visibility less than one-quarter mile in fog, vertical visibility 200 feet, temperature 21°C, dew point 21°C, and altimeter 30.08 inHg.
Carburetor Icing and Fuel Considerations
After the accident, the pilot told a local mechanic that he did not use carburetor heat during the flight. The carburetor icing probability chart from FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin SAIB CE-09-35 indicated a probability of serious icing at glide power given the temperature and dew point. Additionally, according to Transport Canada's publication "The Use of Automobile Gasoline (MOGAS) in Aviation," the likelihood of carburetor icing is higher when using mogas, and conditions that pose a slight risk with avgas may be ideal for ice formation with mogas, requiring earlier and longer use of carburetor heat.