Cessna 177 accident near New Bern, North Carolina, November 16, 2005
On November 16, 2005 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N821KF, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Bern, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to activate the carburetor heat during approach resulting in a total loss of engine power due to carburetor ice.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 16, 2005 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- New Bern, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N821KF · no longer on the register · serial 17702351
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on an instrument flight rules flight. The controller cleared the pilot for a VOR runway 22 approach at the destination airport. The pilot initiated a descent and did not apply carburetor heat. The Let-Down procedures in the checklist states, "Carburetor Heat-AS REQUIRED to prevent carburetor icing." Upon reaching the minimum descent altitude for the approach, the pilot increased the throttle and did not get an engine response. The pilot realized he could not make the runway and made a forced landing into a river. The surface weather observation at the destination airport revealed the temperature was 75-degrees Fahrenheit and the dew point temperature was 61-degrees Fahrenheit. Review of the Department of Transportation Icing Probability Chart indicates the airplane will encounter serious icing conditions at glide power. The engine was mounted in a test stand and an alternate fuel, and battery source was attached. Engine controls, and magneto grounding wires were installed. The mixture control was safetied wired in the full rich position. The engine was started and ran at idle power. After engine warm up the throttle was advanced to full power and the engine stabilized at takeoff rpm of 2,000. The throttle was returned back to the idle position, the safety wire on the mixture was cut, and the engine was shut down with the mixture control.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 5,990 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005; 225 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W40 Mount Olive NC at 6:21 pm
- Destination: EWN New Bern CA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 14 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 6:04 pm from EWN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.