CEN17LA171

The private pilot of the airplane departed from a grass runway. He stated that after takeoff, the engine was losing power, so he turned to return to the runway. The engine continued to lose power, and as the pilot attempted to line up for landing, the airplane lost airspeed, stalled, and then contacted low trees near the end of the runway, and the right wing contacted the ground. Examination of the wreckage revealed that a wooden throttle cable support block that had been glued to the aircraft structure was found detached. The detachment area did not appear to show signs of impact damage. No other anomalies were noted with the engine, airframe, or fuel distribution system. It is likely that the throttle cable support block came loose in flight, which resulted in the pilot's inability to control the engine throttle and the subsequent stall while maneuvering for an emergency landing.

On March 21, 2017, about 1700 central daylight time, an Air Camper airplane, N23RT, registered to the pilot/owner, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the ground following a partial loss of engine power near Oronogo, Missouri. The private pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot and was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code Federal of Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plane was not filed. The flight was originating from a private airstrip at the time of the accident. The airplane was taking off to the north from a private grass runway located on the property of the aircraft owner. The pilot stated that after takeoff, he noticed that he was losing power from the engine and made a turn to the south in an attempt to make it back to the airport. The engine continued to lose power and as the pilot attempted to make a turn to line up for landing, the aircraft lost airspeed and stalled. The aircraft contacted low trees about 330 ft from the end of the runway, then continued in a northwest direction before colliding with small trees. The right wing contacted the ground in a nose down attitude about 240 ft from the end of the runway. During the examination of the wreckage, a wooden throttle cable support block that had been glued to the aircraft structure was found detached. The detachment area did not appear to be related to impact damage. No other anomalies were noted with the engine, airframe, or fuel distribution system.