Flight Crew Private; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 12; Flight Crew Total 1277; Flight Crew Type 1100
Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe
Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; General Maintenance Action
Weather; Human Factors; Aircraft
Departed PHF & just finished climb to 5;000 feet over water; went to lean mixture & engine started running rough then lost power. Was a hot hazy day with ground temps above 90F; advised ATC; (note ATC was amazing in helping); while setting up a glide engine got partial power then slowly starting to develop full power. After landing & having a local mechanic check it out. It was determined it was carb ice. In the short time I was on the ground 5 pilots in the area stopped by & said they have experienced similar situations in that exact area. It seems that on hot hazy humid days over that water there is a greater reoccurrence of carb ice & it should be a warning or pilots should be made more aware this is an area of high carb ice.Also after analyzing the engine analyzer after getting home; the number 2 cylinder went cold during mixture leaning & was an additional cause of power loss.  This is a brand new engine with just over 200 hours. It's a Penn Yann 180 HP conversion; the plane is meticulously maintained & looked after. 200 hour engine should not be having a sticky valve.
C172 pilot reported experiencing a power loss during leaning at 5;000 feet on a hot humid day. As the aircraft descends power increases and the reporter is able to land safely. Carb ice is determined to be the likely cause.