23 Dec 2023: CESSNA 172P

23 Dec 2023: CESSNA 172P (N53725) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Kahului, HI, United States

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power due to the formation of carburetor ice, which resulted in the inability to maintain altitude in the traffic pattern. Contributing to the outcome was the pilot’s delayed use of carburetor heat in conditions conducive to the formation of carburetor ice.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On December 23, 2023, about 1000 Hawaii-Aleutian standard time, a Cessna 172P, N53725, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Kahului Airport (PHOG), Kahului, Hawaii. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that, after five touch-and-go landings, while on the base leg of the traffic pattern, the engine lost partial power. The pilot applied carburetor heat, switched the fuel tanks, and pumped the throttle, but engine power remained at idle. Unable to reach the runway, the pilot performed a forced landing short of the runway. Upon touchdown, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. About 20 gallons of automotive fuel remained in the fuel tanks at the accident site. A postaccident engine examination revealed the presence of fuel in the strainer and carburetor bowl. The fuel was drained from the strainer and carburetor bowl, and a trace amount of water was found. Continuity was established on all linkages to the carburetor and airbox; all linkages functioned normally, and the butterfly valves were found to operate normally. The spark plugs were removed and the plug electrodes appeared normal. The magnetos produced spark on all ignition leads. The airplane was started normally and accelerated smoothly from idle to 1,700 rpm with no anomalies noted. A review of the local meteorological data and the Carburetor Icing Probability Chart located in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, Carburetor Icing Prevention, dated June 30, 2009, revealed that the weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious icing at glide power. FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (CE-09-35) – Carburetor Icing Prevention, stated that: “…pilots should be aware that carburetor icing doesn't just occur in freezing conditions, it can occur at temperatures well above freezing temperatures when there is visible moisture or high humidity. Icing can occur in the carburetor at temperatures above freezing because vaporization of fuel, combined with the expansion of air as it flows through the carburetor, (Venturi Effect) causes sudden cooling, sometimes by a significant amount within a fraction of a second. Carburetor ice can be detected by a drop in rpm in fixed pitch propeller airplanes and a drop in manifold pressure in constant speed propeller airplanes. In both types, usually there will be a roughness in engine operation.” According to Transport Canada TP 10737 (Use of Automotive Gasoline [Mogas] in Aviation), Mogas is generally higher in volatility than Avgas and will thus absorb more heat from the mixing air when vaporizing, resulting in ice accumulation at higher ambient temperatures. It goes on to say that “the likelihood of carb icing while flying on Mogas is higher,” and advises that, “[a]lthough the severity of the carb icing and the methods to deal with it are similar for both Avgas and Mogas, its ONSET is likely to occur at HIGHER AMBIENT TEMPERATURES and at LOWER HUMIDITY with Mogas. In other words, conditions under which a pilot may feel there is only a slight risk for carb icing on Avgas may in fact be ideal for the formation of ice while using more volatile Mogas. This will result in the need to select ‘carb heat on’ in less severe icing conditions and for a longer duration while using Mogas.”

Contributing factors

  • Pilot
  • Not used/operated
  • Pilot

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 050/19kt, vis 9sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.