CEN19LA262

Just before takeoff on the first flight in the plans-built airplane, the pilot taxied the airplane and ran the engine to bring it up to operating temperature. After takeoff, the airplane climbed out about 50 mph and the pilot lowered the nose to increase the airspeed to 55 mph. He stated that the airplane seemed to be "behind the power curve" and did not "seem to be producing enough power." Sound from a video of the accident flight showed engine power was consistent throughout the flight. According to the pilot, about 150 to 200 ft above ground level, the pilot prepared for an off-field landing in a corn field when the wing tips "started to stall" and then the "left wing stalled." The pilot was unable to recover from the stall and the airplane impacted terrain; both wings separated during impact. The pilot stated that it was likely that the timing slipped or that the mixture on the carburetor needed adjustment, but he did not know the reason for the low engine power on takeoff. A review of meteorological data revealed that the temperature and dew point at the time and location of the accident were conducive for serious icing at glide power. While carburetor icing may have built up during the extended ground run, the sound of the engine during the takeoff did not indicate a loss of power. Investigators were not able to determine the reason for the low engine rpm at takeoff because impact damage to the engine precluded functional testing.

On August 10, 2019, about 930 eastern daylight time, a plans-built Pietenpol Aircamper airplane, N899DA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Newark-Heath Airport (KVTA) Newark, Ohio. The private pilot sustained minor injury. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he had done static runs on the engine over several weeks before the accident. During these runs there were no anomalies and the engine was able to reach 2,700 rpm. The accident flight was the first flight in the airplane. The pilot stated that he taxied the airplane and performed an engine runup in order to bring the engine to operating temperatures. The pilot accomplished the pretakeoff checklist and taxied onto runway 27 for takeoff. He stated that the airplane became airborne about 700 ft down the runway and he rotated between 40 and 45 miles per hour (mph). The airplane climbed out about 50 mph and the pilot attempted to pitch the nose of the airplane to increase the airspeed to 55 mph. He stated that the airplane seemed to be "behind the power curve" and did not "seem to be producing enough power", the gauge indicated about 2,500 rpm. About 150 to 200 ft agl the pilot prepared for an off-field landing in a corn field when the wing tips "started to stall" and then the "left wing stalled." The pilot was unable to recover from the stall and the airplane impacted terrain. Both wings separated during the impact sequence and the airplane came to rest on its right side. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the accident, video of the accident flight showed engine power consistent from the beginning of the video until the end of the video. He stated that the flight controls were continuous and he did not see any indications of a mechanical anomaly with the engine. The pilot stated in his accident report form that there may have been a slip in the timing or that the mixture on the carburetor needed an adjustment. The propeller, carburetor, and distributor were impact damaged and could not be functionally tested. Impact damage to the engine precluded functional testing. According to the FAA Special Airworthiness Bulletin SAIB CE-09-35 Carburetor Icing Prevention, the ambient temperature and dew point temperature presented conditions conducive for serious icing at glide power.