Mansfield Municipal Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Mansfield, Massachusetts 02048
Sunday, October 21, 2012 13:30 EDT

NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident

The flight instructor stated that during takeoff, when the airplane reached 250 feet above ground level, it "stopped climbing." The flight instructor assumed control of the airplane from the student and verified the position of the engine controls; however, despite adjusting airspeeds between best rate and best angle of climb, the airplane continued to descend until it settled into trees off the departure end of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the empennage and tail sections. The occupants egressed without injury. After the accident, the airplane was removed from the trees by local authorities and placed inverted on the ground. As a result, all residual fuel drained from the airplane, and no fuel was available for testing. Examination of the airframe revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The engine was removed from the airframe and placed in a test cell where it started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously at rated power. Atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious icing at any power setting, and the flight instructor stated that he ensured that the carburetor heat control was in its cold position during the takeoff. Therefore, it is likely that the loss of engine power was related to the accumulation of carburetor ice during takeoff.

NTSB Probable Cause Narrative

The pilots’ failure to apply carburetor heat during takeoff, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power due to the formation of carburetor ice.

Event Information

Type of Event Accident
Event Date 10/21/2012
Event Day of the Week Sunday
Time of Event 1330
Event Time Zone Eastern Daylight Time
Event City Mansfield
Event State MASSACHUSETTS
Event Country --
Zipcode of the event site 02048
Event Date Year 2012
Event Date Month 10
MidAir Collision Indicator No
On Ground Collision occurred ? No
Event Location Latitude 420002N
Event Location Longitude 0711132W
Event Location Airport Mansfield Municipal
Event Location Nearest Airport ID 1B9
Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport Off Airport/Airstrip
Distance from airport in statute miles 1
Degrees magnetic from airport --
Airport Elevation 121
Weather Briefing Completeness --
Investigator's weather source Weather Observation Facility
Time of the weather observation 1352 Eastern Daylight Time
Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) 120
Weather Observation Facility ID TAN
Elevation of weather observation facility 42
Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) 11
Time Zone of the weather observation EDT
Lighting Conditions Day
Lowest Ceiling Height --
Lowest Non-Ceiling Height 4800
Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions Scattered
Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling None
Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) --
Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) --
Visibility (Statute Miles) 10
Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) 18
Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) 5
Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) 290
Variable Wind Indicator Wind direction could be determined
Wind Speed (knots) 10
Wind Velocity Indicator --
Wind Gust Indicator Not Gusting
Wind Gust (knots) --
Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) 29.86
Density Altitude (feet) --
Intensity of Precipitation --
METAR weather report KTAN 211752Z AUTO 29010KT 270V330 10SM SCT048 18/0
Event Highest Injury None
On Ground, Fatal Injuries --
On Ground, Minor Injuries --
On Ground, Serious Injuries --
Injury Total Fatal --
Injury Total Minor --
Injury Total None 2
Injury Total Serious --
Injury Total All --
Investigating Agency NTSB
NTSB Docket Number (internal use) 31772
NTSB Notification Source FAA New England Region
NTSB Notification Date --
NTSB Notification Time --
Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information --
Date of most recent change to record Aug 26 2013 10:43AM
User who most recently changed record kenj
Basic weather conditions Visual Meteorological Cond
FAA District Office --

Aircraft Involved

Aircraft #1

Aircraft Registration Number N7250S
NTSB Number ERA13LA034
Missing Aircraft Indicator --
Federal Aviation Reg. Part Part 91: General Aviation
Type of Flight Plan filed None
Flight plan Was Activated? No
Damage Substantial
Aircraft Fire None
Aircraft Explosion None
Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name CESSNA
Aircraft Model 150H
Aircraft Series Identifier --
Aircraft Serial Number 15067950
Certified Max Gross Weight 1600
Aircraft Category Airplane
Aircraft Registration Class --
Aircraft is a homebuilt? No
Flight Crew Seats --
Cabin Crew Seats --
Passenger Seats --
Total number of seats on the aircraft 2
Number of Engines 1
Fixed gear or retractable gear Fixed
Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection Annual
Date of Last Inspection Sep 26 2012 12:00AM
Airframe hours since last inspection --
Airframe Hours 6814
ELT Installed Yes
ELT Activated No
ELT Aided Location of Event Site No
ELT Type Unknown
Aircraft Owner Name John M. Rodick
Aircraft Owner Street Address --
Aircraft Owner City Hanson
Aircraft Owner State MA
Aircraft Owner Country USA
Aircraft Owner Zipcode 02341
Operator is an individual? No
Operator Name John Rodick
Operator Same as Owner? No
Operator Is Doing Business As --
Operator Address Same as Owner? No
Operator Street Address --
Operator City Hanson
Operator State MA
Operator Country USA
Operator Zip code 02341
Operator Code --
Owner has at least one certificate None
Other Operator of large aircraft? No
Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation --
Operator Certificate Number --
Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not --
Indicates Domestic or International Flight --
Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail --
Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) Instructional
Second Pilot on Board Yes
Departure Point Same as Event Yes
Departure Airport Code 1B9
Departure City Manfield
Departure State ME
Departure Country USA
Departure Time 1320
Departure Time Zone EDT
Destination Same as Local Flt dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere
Destination Airport Code 1B9
Destination City Manfield
Destination State ME
Destination Country USA
Specific Phase of Flight --
Report sent to ICAO? --
Evacuation occurred --
Date of most recent change to record Sep 4 2013 1:23PM
User who most recently changed record reej
Since inspection or accident Last Inspection
Event Location Runway Number and Location 32
Runway Length 3503
Runway Width 75
Sight Seeing flight No
Air Medical Flight No
Medical Flight --