CHI93LA226

The pilot reported shortly after leveling off from a cruise descent, there was a drop in engine RPM, followed by a total loss of engine power. Attempts to restart were unsuccessful. The pilot performed a forced landing in an open field, and the airplane came to rest nose down. Postaccident examination and engine teardown revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical difficulty. The pilot was returning the airplane to the home base airport after completion of an annual inspection. A nearby weather observation indicated a temperature of 80 degrees, with a dew point of 61 degrees.

On June 26, 1993, at 1830 central daylight time, a Cessna 172C, N1441Y, piloted by the private pilot/airplane owner, experienced a loss of engine power during cruise flight and landed in a field in West Chicago, Illinois. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the forced landing. The pilot and one passenger reported minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, no flight plan was filed. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91, and originated from Monee, Illinois about 1800. The intended destination was Schaumburg, Illinois.

The pilot stated they departed Monee with full fuel and climbed to an initial cruising altitude of 2,500 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL). He flew a circuitous route toward Schaumburg Airport, remaining clear of the O'Hare Terminal Control Area (TCA). He reported he made a cruise power descent, leveling off at 1,800 feet MSL approximately 8 miles east southeast of the DuPage County Airport (DPA), West Chicago, Illinois. The pilot stated about 15 seconds after they resumed level flight, "...engine RPM dropped 100 RPM. I enriched the mixture and increased throttle and RPM began to increase, then engine began to miss and within 20 seconds, lost all power...approx. 45 seconds from initial power drop."

The pilot described his actions during the emergency procedure: "At first engine miss I turned toward DPA and began reducing airspeed. When engine stopped producing power I moved mixture to full rich and pumped primer 6 times, cycled mag switch, cycled throttle, cycled fuel valve, reset trim...pumped primer again, engine did not restart." The pilot made a forced landing in an open field. The airplane came to rest nose down.

The airplane maintenance logbooks indicated total times of 2,785 hours on the airframe, and 1377 hours on the engine. Airplane logbooks and the pilot statement indicated the most recent maintenance was an Annual Inspection, completed on June 26, 1993. The pilot was returning to the home base airport when the accident occurred.

A postaccident engine teardown, attended by NTSB and FAA investigators, revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical difficulty. There was evidence of fuel present in the fuel lines and carburetor. The DPA and Aurora (ARR) weather observations indicated a temperature of 80 degrees. DPA's dew point was missing, but ARR's observed dew point was 61 degrees. A carburetor icing probability chart is appended.