An FAA
carburetor icing chart for the given conditions revealed "Serious icing (cruise power)." The pilot added that he did not have a full understanding of the potentially subtle nature of carburetor ice.
We'll review
carburetor icing, structural icing and ground icing.
The alerts include Engine Power Loss Due to
Carburetor Icing and Proper Use of Fiber or Nylon Self-Locking Nuts.
Experts from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the loss of engine power was probably due to
carburetor icing.
Only after we had dropped to 5,000 feet did we recognize
carburetor icing, something we never had to worry about in Florida.
ACCIDENT SUMMARY ENGINE/MECHANICAL (28%) R-LOC (20%) OTHER (16%) STALL RELATED (9%) FUEL MISMANAGEMENT (9%) CFIT (7%) VFR INTO IMC (7%) FUEL CONTAMINATION (2%) STRUCTURAL ICING (2%)
CARBURETOR ICING (0%) MID-AIR (0%) Note: Table made from bar graph.
Now an official Air Accident Investigation Branch report into the incident has concluded that the aircraft suffered an in flight engine failure, probably as a result of
carburetor icing.
Carburetor icing depends on the outside temperature and on the humidity in the air.
I was complacent with regard to the possibility of
carburetor icing.
The newest series of alerts targets shoulder harnesses,
carburetor icing, ELTs, unsecured items in the cockpit, and fiber self-locking nuts.
And some airplanes are more susceptible to
carburetor icing than others.
The FAA
carburetor icing probability chart indicated the airplane was operating in an area associated with a serious risk of carburetor ice formation at glide power settings.
