CEN12LA632

The pilot reported that about 1 hour after takeoff, while established in cruise flight at 3,000 feet mean sea level, the engine lost power completely and without warning. His efforts to restore engine power were not successful. He executed a forced landing to a bean field and the airplane nosed over during the landing roll. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of an engine malfunction or failure. Surface weather conditions in the vicinity of the accident site indicated the potential for serious carburetor icing at glide power and moderate icing at cruise power. The exact weather conditions at cruise altitude were not known. Further, an abrupt loss of engine power is not consistent with carburetor icing. Accordingly, a determination of the underlying cause of the loss of engine power could not be determined.

On September 13, 2012, about 1030 central daylight time, an amateur-built Barrett Stolp Starlet SA500, N935B, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a bean field following a loss of engine power near Shelbyville, Illinois. The pilot was not injured. The aircraft was registered to a private individual and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operated on a flight plan. The flight originated from Owensboro-Daviess County Airport (OWB), Owensboro, Kentucky, at 0932. The intended destination was Ingersoll Airport (CTK), Canton, Illinois. The pilot reported that about one hour after takeoff, while established in cruise flight at 3,000 feet mean sea level, the engine lost power completely and without warning. His efforts to restore engine power were not successful. He executed a forced landing to a bean field and the airplane nosed over during the landing roll. A postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies consistent with an abrupt loss of engine power. Internal engine continuity was confirmed via crankshaft rotation. Compression was observed on all cylinders. Proper magneto operation was confirmed. The induction air filter was partially obstructed; however, air movement was detected through the filter when pressurized air was applied to the inlet side of the filter. The carburetor fuel screen appeared unobstructed and a fuel sample obtained at the carburetor was free of sediment. The fuel selector did not have a positive engagement at any of the settings; otherwise, it functioned normally. Surface weather conditions reported at the Taylorville Municipal Airport (TAZ), located about 23 miles west of the accident site, at 1035, included a temperature and dew point of 26 degrees Celsius and 16 degrees Celsius, respectively. This indicated a possibility of serious carburetor icing at glide power and moderate icing at cruise power. However, the exact temperature and dew point at the airplane cruise altitude were not known.