Cessna 172D N2483Y accident near Palm Beach, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to use carburetor heat which led to a loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

NTSB analysis

While flying at an altitude of 1,200 feet, about 3/4-mile offshore, the pilot reported that the airplane's engine started to "sputter" before losing power. He verified the fuel selector and mixture settings and reported that the engine did not respond to his throttle control inputs. He could not recall if he had applied carburetor heat. He subsequently executed a forced landing to an unpopulated area of the beach, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage. A postaccident test run of the engine revealed no evidence of any mechanical anomalies. According to the Federal Aviation Administration icing probability chart, the airplane was operating in conditions conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power at the time of the accident. Without carburetor heat carburetor ice can form resulting in loss of power and possible engine roughness.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA10LA494 for the full record.