Cessna 180 N2601Y accident near Cardington, Ohio

Probable cause

The partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing during an attempted go-around.

NTSB analysis

The commercial-rated pilot was conducting a local, personal flight and planned to land on a small private grass runway. He reported that he initially planned to land to the east, but he noticed some people on the ground and then chose to maneuver to land to the west. During the landing, the airplane floated and then drifted right, so he decided to go around. He reported that he advanced the throttle full forward and that the airplane felt "anemic" but that the engine gauges appeared normal. At the end of the runway, he rotated for takeoff, and the airplane started to slowly climb; however, the airplane impacted a building just past the end of the runway. A postcrash fire consumed a majority of the airplane.

A visual examination of the engine did not reveal any obvious discrepancies; however, fire/thermal damage to the engine prevented a detailed examination. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of serious carburetor icing at glide power settings. The pilot would have reduced engine power while maneuvering to land, and it is likely that the carburetor accumulated ice at glide power settings, which prevented the production of full engine power during the attempted go-around.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN16LA311 for the full record.