Amateur-built DSA-4 N1321 accident near Hernando, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat while descending in conditions conducive to carburetor icing, which resulted in carburetor icing and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

NTSB analysis

The airplane had descended from about 1,600 feet to about 800 feet when the pilot/owner increased the throttle to initiate a climb. The engine began to run roughly, the pilot applied carburetor heat, the engine speed decreased to 2,000 rpm, and the airplane descended. Approximately 10 seconds later, about 500 feet agl, the engine stopped producing power and the propeller stopped. The pilot conducted a forced landing in a wildlife preserve, where the airplane rolled an estimated 40 feet, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The accident airplane was one in a flight of two. The second airplane orbited the site until emergency services arrived. According to the owner of the second airplane, he too serviced his airplane at the same time and from the same vendor as the accident airplane and experienced no fuel-related problems. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preaccident anomalies that would preclude normal operation. The engine started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously without interruption. According to an Federal Aviation Administration carburetor icing probability chart, the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious icing at glide power.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA12LA087 for the full record.