On August 27, 2018, about 1350 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172G , N4379L, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Rushville, Indiana. The private pilot and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to fly cross-country to visit family members. She landed at the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport (PMH), Portsmouth, Ohio, and topped off both fuel tanks. She then departed about 1145 for her planned next stop at the Crawfordsville Municipal Airport (CFJ), Crawfordsville, Indiana.
After the departure climb from PMH, the engine temporarily "sputtered" and then operated normally. While in cruise flight about 2,900 ft above mean sea level (msl) and traveling about 85 kts with a heading of 300°, the engine "sputtered" and ceased producing power. The pilot stated the outside air temperature gauge indicated about 80° F and she did not believe the engine was experiencing carburetor icing conditions. The pilot did not remember what temperature the carburetor temperate gauge was displaying at the time. The engine power decreased to 1,500 rpm, then 1,000 rpm. The pilot advanced the mixture to the full rich position and the engine "smoothed out a little." As the airplane descended to 2,000 ft msl, the engine began "sputtering" again and the engine power decreased to about 1,000 rpm and ceased producing power. She attempted to troubleshoot the engine power loss without applying carburetor heat but was not successful in regaining engine power.
Although her aeronautical navigational chart showed a private airstrip close to her location for executing a forced landing, the pilot elected not to land there due to her airspeed and altitude, and instead choose to land in an open soybean field. During the forced landing sequence, she attempted to maneuver the airplane between a powerline pole and several trees. The airplane struck the powerlines and impacted the field, coming to rest in a slightly nose down attitude.
Two Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspectors traveled to the accident site to document the wreckage. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage from the impact sequence. The inspectors noted that the both the left and right wing fuel tanks had not been breached and contained an adequate amount of usable fuel for the flight to CFJ.
An airframe and engine examination were performed by an airframe and powerplant mechanic under the supervision of the FAA. During the examination, no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were noted with the airframe and engine. An examination of the airplane's maintenance records revealed no evidence of uncorrected mechanical discrepancies with the airframe and engine.
The airplane was equipped with an analog carburetor temperature gauge that was located on the right side of the cockpit, about 6 inches to the right and level with the base of the control yoke. The gauge displayed a temperature range of -20° C to 20° C, with a yellow arc range of -15° C to 5° C, and a green arc range from 5° C to 20° C. There was also a placard that read, "keep needle out of yellow arc during possible carburetor icing conditions."
At the time of the accident, the nearest weather reporting station at Shelbyville Municipal Airport (GEZ), Indiana, 17 miles west-southwest of the accident site, reported a dew point of 72° F.
Based on the weather conditions reported by the pilot and at GEZ, the carburetor icing probability chart from the FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 Carburetor Icing Prevention, showed a probability of serious icing at glide power.