Narrative:

I was conducting a VFR flight from hwv to ssi in my C150. In the previous weeks, there were some problems with my aircraft radio, and maintenance company X instructed me to ship it to the manufacturer company Y for repair. Because of this, I planned my route over no airspace and brought a handheld radio for backup. I checked the WX on internet weather site for my entire route just prior to leaving for the airport. Furthermore, I called new york FSS for an in-depth briefing on the first leg of my trip to ocean city beach, md. The first leg was uneventful with a refueling stop. The next leg is where I encountered some difficulty. While checking the WX that morning, I knew I would encounter some MVFR conditions in north carolina associated with the front. However, I also knew I had around 400 mi of range plus reserves. Therefore, I elected to continue the flight with VFR over the top. As I continued the flight, the tops of the stratus layer began to rise. I decided to initiate a climb to maintain 1000 ft above the cloud layers. Upon applying full power, the engine completely choked. I immediately initiated a restart procedure (carburetor heat on, mixture rich, throttle full and cycle, prime the engine, etc). At first, nothing would work and it just windmilled around 1000 RPM. At that point I squawked 7700 and hit 'identify' to notify ATC of my in-flight emergency. I continued my restart procedure again as I was getting close to the clouds. It seemed like the carburetor heat was starting to work and power was very gradually coming back (around 1500 RPM). I primed some fuel in, and it brought it up to about 2000 or so RPM. I was barely able to maintain level flight. At one point, I found a hole in the clouds and tried to circle down through it in order to land in a field. However, it required a very steep turn and I feared losing control of the airplane. I used my handheld GPS to navigation to elizabethtown, nc, and checked the AWOS on my handheld radio. At the time, it was indicating a ceiling of 1000 ft AGL. During this time, I required a lot of concentration to maintain control of the airplane and keep it headed towards elizabethtown. A lot of things were going through my mind such as losing the attitude indicator in the clouds because of a lack of suction. In addition, I was continually priming fuel into the engine because it seemed to help keep it running. I thought about using the handheld radio to give a mayday call on 121.5 MHZ. However, I decided my priority should be on aviating and navigating (not communicating). While I was descending, the carburetor heat eventually melted away the ice and I regained full power. I decided to continue my emergency landing with full power. I obtained visual on the runway, made a quick call on the handheld saying, 'aircraft in distress entering left base runway 15 at elizabethtown.' I made a right 270 degree turn to lose altitude and joined the final approach course. I landed without incident. Upon deplaning, I asked the FBO attendant if he had a number for ATC, and he told me fayetteville approach had called him with a phone number. I spoke with fayetteville approach and explained the situation in detail. She said she was concerned that she could not get a hold of me on any frequency to help. I told her my priority was to aviate and navigation and have as few distrs as possible. I asked her if I should file a report and she said no but asked for my contact information in case anyone else had questions. I apologized for the situation and told her that I hoped I had not created any traffic conflicts. She said it did not and that they were just worried about me. I have taken many aviation safety courses in my collegiate career. As I descended, for the first time in my life, I thought I would become a statistic. Here is the accident chain we so frequently hear about: no aircraft radio, MVFR conditions prevailing, decision to continue VFR over the top, favorable conditions for carburetor icing, engine fails and now its VFR into IMC. In retrospect, I feel I managed the emergency effectively. However, I should not have let myself get suckered into that situation in the first place. I think I was pushing myself to get thisflt done (ie, get thereitis). Furthermore, my personal minimums should have been adjusted based on the equipment I was operating (handheld radio, handheld GPS, VFR only aircraft, etc). In addition, I should have obtained another in-depth WX briefing for my second leg. Upon landing, I decided to wait for the WX to significantly improve before going anywhere. The briefer kept saying marginal conditions with scattered thunderstorms from eyf to ssi. I decided I had pushed it too far and aborted that trip and took the airplane to tullahoma, tn (tha). That was where I was planning to go after ssi in order to get an annual inspection. This was definitely a learning experience, and my initial conversation with fayetteville approach sums it all up 'boy am I happy to be on the ground speaking with you.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C150 PLT DEPARTED WITH ONLY A HANDHELD VHF RADIO. INTO MARGINAL WX CONDITIONS. THE PLT DID NOT DETECT SEVERE CARB ICE UNTIL THE ENG WOULD NOT PRODUCE PWR.

Narrative: I WAS CONDUCTING A VFR FLT FROM HWV TO SSI IN MY C150. IN THE PREVIOUS WKS, THERE WERE SOME PROBS WITH MY ACFT RADIO, AND MAINT COMPANY X INSTRUCTED ME TO SHIP IT TO THE MANUFACTURER COMPANY Y FOR REPAIR. BECAUSE OF THIS, I PLANNED MY RTE OVER NO AIRSPACE AND BROUGHT A HANDHELD RADIO FOR BACKUP. I CHKED THE WX ON INTERNET WEATHER SITE FOR MY ENTIRE RTE JUST PRIOR TO LEAVING FOR THE ARPT. FURTHERMORE, I CALLED NEW YORK FSS FOR AN IN-DEPTH BRIEFING ON THE FIRST LEG OF MY TRIP TO OCEAN CITY BEACH, MD. THE FIRST LEG WAS UNEVENTFUL WITH A REFUELING STOP. THE NEXT LEG IS WHERE I ENCOUNTERED SOME DIFFICULTY. WHILE CHKING THE WX THAT MORNING, I KNEW I WOULD ENCOUNTER SOME MVFR CONDITIONS IN NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT. HOWEVER, I ALSO KNEW I HAD AROUND 400 MI OF RANGE PLUS RESERVES. THEREFORE, I ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE FLT WITH VFR OVER THE TOP. AS I CONTINUED THE FLT, THE TOPS OF THE STRATUS LAYER BEGAN TO RISE. I DECIDED TO INITIATE A CLB TO MAINTAIN 1000 FT ABOVE THE CLOUD LAYERS. UPON APPLYING FULL PWR, THE ENG COMPLETELY CHOKED. I IMMEDIATELY INITIATED A RESTART PROC (CARB HEAT ON, MIXTURE RICH, THROTTLE FULL AND CYCLE, PRIME THE ENG, ETC). AT FIRST, NOTHING WOULD WORK AND IT JUST WINDMILLED AROUND 1000 RPM. AT THAT POINT I SQUAWKED 7700 AND HIT 'IDENT' TO NOTIFY ATC OF MY INFLT EMER. I CONTINUED MY RESTART PROC AGAIN AS I WAS GETTING CLOSE TO THE CLOUDS. IT SEEMED LIKE THE CARB HEAT WAS STARTING TO WORK AND PWR WAS VERY GRADUALLY COMING BACK (AROUND 1500 RPM). I PRIMED SOME FUEL IN, AND IT BROUGHT IT UP TO ABOUT 2000 OR SO RPM. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO MAINTAIN LEVEL FLT. AT ONE POINT, I FOUND A HOLE IN THE CLOUDS AND TRIED TO CIRCLE DOWN THROUGH IT IN ORDER TO LAND IN A FIELD. HOWEVER, IT REQUIRED A VERY STEEP TURN AND I FEARED LOSING CTL OF THE AIRPLANE. I USED MY HANDHELD GPS TO NAV TO ELIZABETHTOWN, NC, AND CHKED THE AWOS ON MY HANDHELD RADIO. AT THE TIME, IT WAS INDICATING A CEILING OF 1000 FT AGL. DURING THIS TIME, I REQUIRED A LOT OF CONCENTRATION TO MAINTAIN CTL OF THE AIRPLANE AND KEEP IT HEADED TOWARDS ELIZABETHTOWN. A LOT OF THINGS WERE GOING THROUGH MY MIND SUCH AS LOSING THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR IN THE CLOUDS BECAUSE OF A LACK OF SUCTION. IN ADDITION, I WAS CONTINUALLY PRIMING FUEL INTO THE ENG BECAUSE IT SEEMED TO HELP KEEP IT RUNNING. I THOUGHT ABOUT USING THE HANDHELD RADIO TO GIVE A MAYDAY CALL ON 121.5 MHZ. HOWEVER, I DECIDED MY PRIORITY SHOULD BE ON AVIATING AND NAVING (NOT COMMUNICATING). WHILE I WAS DSNDING, THE CARB HEAT EVENTUALLY MELTED AWAY THE ICE AND I REGAINED FULL PWR. I DECIDED TO CONTINUE MY EMER LNDG WITH FULL PWR. I OBTAINED VISUAL ON THE RWY, MADE A QUICK CALL ON THE HANDHELD SAYING, 'ACFT IN DISTRESS ENTERING L BASE RWY 15 AT ELIZABETHTOWN.' I MADE A R 270 DEG TURN TO LOSE ALT AND JOINED THE FINAL APCH COURSE. I LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. UPON DEPLANING, I ASKED THE FBO ATTENDANT IF HE HAD A NUMBER FOR ATC, AND HE TOLD ME FAYETTEVILLE APCH HAD CALLED HIM WITH A PHONE NUMBER. I SPOKE WITH FAYETTEVILLE APCH AND EXPLAINED THE SIT IN DETAIL. SHE SAID SHE WAS CONCERNED THAT SHE COULD NOT GET A HOLD OF ME ON ANY FREQ TO HELP. I TOLD HER MY PRIORITY WAS TO AVIATE AND NAV AND HAVE AS FEW DISTRS AS POSSIBLE. I ASKED HER IF I SHOULD FILE A RPT AND SHE SAID NO BUT ASKED FOR MY CONTACT INFO IN CASE ANYONE ELSE HAD QUESTIONS. I APOLOGIZED FOR THE SIT AND TOLD HER THAT I HOPED I HAD NOT CREATED ANY TFC CONFLICTS. SHE SAID IT DID NOT AND THAT THEY WERE JUST WORRIED ABOUT ME. I HAVE TAKEN MANY AVIATION SAFETY COURSES IN MY COLLEGIATE CAREER. AS I DSNDED, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, I THOUGHT I WOULD BECOME A STATISTIC. HERE IS THE ACCIDENT CHAIN WE SO FREQUENTLY HEAR ABOUT: NO ACFT RADIO, MVFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING, DECISION TO CONTINUE VFR OVER THE TOP, FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR CARB ICING, ENG FAILS AND NOW ITS VFR INTO IMC. IN RETROSPECT, I FEEL I MANAGED THE EMER EFFECTIVELY. HOWEVER, I SHOULD NOT HAVE LET MYSELF GET SUCKERED INTO THAT SIT IN THE FIRST PLACE. I THINK I WAS PUSHING MYSELF TO GET THISFLT DONE (IE, GET THEREITIS). FURTHERMORE, MY PERSONAL MINIMUMS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED BASED ON THE EQUIP I WAS OPERATING (HANDHELD RADIO, HANDHELD GPS, VFR ONLY ACFT, ETC). IN ADDITION, I SHOULD HAVE OBTAINED ANOTHER IN-DEPTH WX BRIEFING FOR MY SECOND LEG. UPON LNDG, I DECIDED TO WAIT FOR THE WX TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE BEFORE GOING ANYWHERE. THE BRIEFER KEPT SAYING MARGINAL CONDITIONS WITH SCATTERED TSTMS FROM EYF TO SSI. I DECIDED I HAD PUSHED IT TOO FAR AND ABORTED THAT TRIP AND TOOK THE AIRPLANE TO TULLAHOMA, TN (THA). THAT WAS WHERE I WAS PLANNING TO GO AFTER SSI IN ORDER TO GET AN ANNUAL INSPECTION. THIS WAS DEFINITELY A LEARNING EXPERIENCE, AND MY INITIAL CONVERSATION WITH FAYETTEVILLE APCH SUMS IT ALL UP 'BOY AM I HAPPY TO BE ON THE GND SPEAKING WITH YOU.'

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.