Cessna 162 accident near Huntsville, Alabama, September 28, 2017
On September 28, 2017 at about 9:48 pm local time, a 2013 Cessna 162, registered N552ES, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Huntsville, Alabama (Huntsville Executive Airport T). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s failure to use carburetor heat, which resulted in the total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2017 · about 9:48 pm local time
- Place
- Huntsville, Alabama · Huntsville Executive Airport T · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 162, built 2013 · all 162s on the register
- Registration
- N552ES · no longer on the register · serial 16200234
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an instructional flight, the student pilot and flight instructor were returning to the airport. While descending to traffic pattern altitude with the carburetor heat off, the student applied full power to level off, but the engine lost total power. The instructor took control of the airplane and pumped the throttle, which resulted in a brief surge of power, followed by a total loss of power. The instructor then performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane impacted trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and aileron, right wingtip, and the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation, and during an engine test-run, the engine started and ran continuously at multiple power settings. The atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of serious carburetor icing at glide power. Therefore, given the atmospheric conditions and that the instructor did not use carburetor heat, it is likely that the carburetor accumulated ice during the descent, which resulted in the total loss of engine power.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel related during approach defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Intake anti › ice, deice › Not used/operated
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,463 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 854 as pilot in command; 700 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 9, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 656.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 4, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 1,324 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-D (piston); 529 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MDQ Huntsville AL at 9:30 pm
- Destination: MDQ Huntsville AL
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 pm from KMDQ, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on March 18, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Instructor and Student Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - Telephone Interview, Flight Instructor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | POH Excerpt | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | FAA Saib on Carburetor Icing Prevention | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.