Cessna 182 N3120S accident near Norwood, Colorado

Probable cause

The partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was conducting a personal flight. During the flight, he monitored the carburetor temperature gauge and used full, partial, and no carburetor heat settings as appropriate. While landing at his private, high-elevation airport, he initially had partial carburetor heat selected but then turned it off as he typically did to preclude ingestion of unfiltered air into the engine while landing on a dirt runway. During the approach, the airplane drifted left of the runway, so the pilot decided to go around. He advanced the engine power slightly, but the engine did not respond. He then advanced the engine power to full, but the engine still did not respond. The pilot then conducted a steep right turn and applied right rudder to land the airplane on the runway and avoid trees. He was not certain if the airplane stalled, but the right wingtip contacted the ground, and the airplane "pancaked" on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings.

After the accident, the pilot stated that he did not “adequately” clear the carburetor during the approach and that it was possible the carburetor had "iced up" during the descent. However, the temperature and dew point at the time of the accident put the airplane outside of conditions conducive for icing; therefore, it is unlikely that carburetor accumulated icing. Thus, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined based on the available evidence.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN19LA061 for the full record.