ATL93LA085

The commercial pilot was performing a clearing turn over a grass airstrip at 700 feet AGL when the engine lost power. Unable to regain engine power, he set up for a forced landing. He observed trees in his flight path, so he turned toward an uphill, grass pasture. He reported that the 'ground began to come up very quickly.' He pulled back on the yoke, and the aircraft stalled about 10 feet above the ground, then impacted the ground in a nose low attitude. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined

On April 29, 1993, at about 1340 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150G, N2971J, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Arden, North Carolina. The commercial pilot and one passenger had minor injuries. The aircraft was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 by Jason J. Holt. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight to Avery Creek Airstrip in Arden. The flight originated at the Asheville Regional Airport, in Fletcher, North Carolina, at about 1330.

The pilot reported the following: He approached the Avery Creek Airstrip about ten minutes after he departed from the Asheville Airport. He crossed over the runway at about 700 feet above ground level (AGL) to clear for traffic and vehicles on the airfield. During the clearing turn, the engine lost power. He advanced the throttle, and no improvement was observed. An application of carburetor heat did not remedy the problem. He set up for a forced landing. During the descent, he observed trees in his flight path, and turned to the right to land on a grassy hillside. As he rolled out of the turn, the "ground began to come up very quickly." He pulled back on the stick, and the aircraft stalled at about 10 feet AGL.

An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration visited the accident site and examined the wreckage. He reported the following: The aircraft came to rest in a nose low attitude, with the nose gear collapsed and the nose of the aircraft crushed into the ground. The aircraft was righted and an inspection was performed. The throttle was found in the full forward position, the carburetor heat control was on, and the mixture control knob was pulled out (leaned) about 1.5 inches. The fuel filler necks were rusty and flaking on the inside and the outside. The fuel was sampled from each wing tank. The right tank fuel was clean and free of water. The left tank fuel had a trace amount of water. The carburetor was removed, and the inlet screen was clean. There was fuel in the carburetor bowl, which was clean and free of water. One of the composite carburetor floats showed evidence of absorbing fuel. The left magneto was removed, and produced spark to all leads when turned. The right magneto was not tested. Several spark plugs were removed and examined. All appeared to be cleanly burned, light gray in color, with no evidence of fouling.

The aircraft had been inspected at a maintenance facility at the Asheville Airport about 3 days prior to the accident. Several discrepancies were noted during the inspection, however no corrective action was ordered by the owner. A copy of the discrepancy log is included as an attachment to this report.