NTSB Factual Report

On March 17, 2010, approximately 1020 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150F, N7854F, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Tillamook, Oregon. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal local flight, which had originated approximately 20 minutes before the accident. A flight plan had not been filed.

The pilot reported that he had taken off from the Tillamook Airport on runway 13 and turned northward. As the airplane climbed to 2,000 feet above the ground, the engine's rpm began to decrease and the pilot reported that he applied carburetor heat with no effect noted. The pilot subsequently turned the airplane back towards the airport and he aligned the airplane with runway 13 for landing. The pilot stated that he had to pull up on short final to clear an airport perimeter fence, and the airplane stalled from approximately 15 feet and landed on its nose in soft soil short of the runway. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The fuselage was bent aft of the cabin area and the vertical stabilizer was bent.

A mechanic acquired the airplane after the accident and he reported finding no anomalies with the airframe or power plant other than from impact.

The reported weather conditions at the Tillamook airport at 1013 were: wind calm; visibility 7 miles; temperature and dew point 44.6 degrees Fahrenheit. At 1033, the reported weather conditions were wind calm; visibility 10 miles; temperature and dew point 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Plotting these temperatures on a carburetor icing chart indicated the conditions were conducive to serious icing at cruise power.

NTSB Probable Cause

The partial loss of engine power during climb to cruise due to carburetor icing and the pilot's delay in using carburetor heat.