Cessna 150L N17214 accident near Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Probable cause

The partial loss of engine power due to the instructor pilot's failure to use carburetor heat while operating in conditions conducive to carburetor icing. Contributing to the accident was the instructor pilot's decision to attempt a return to the departure airport with degraded engine performance.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot and certified flight instructor (CFI) were conducting a night, cross country flight. Weather conditions were conducive to carburetor icing at both cruise and descent power settings. When the airplane was about 7 miles from their first destination, the engine's performance began to decay. The CFI ignored the student pilot's suggestion to turn on the carburetor heat and elected to turn around and fly approximately 16 miles back to their departure airfield. The engine performance continued to decay, forcing the CFI to land in a field about four miles from the airport. During landing, the airplane flipped over on its back, resulting in substantial damage.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN09LA308 for the full record.