ERA10LA077

Shortly after departure the airplane’s engine began to run rough. The pilot attempted unsuccessfully to troubleshoot the problem before initiating a return to the departure airport. During the return, the pilot noticed smoke coming from the right side of the engine that got progressively worse before the engine lost total power. After realizing that he would not be able to make it to the airport, the pilot performed a forced landing in a pasture where the airplane was completely consumed by the postcrash fire with the exception of the tail section. The extensive fire damage to the engine and forward part of the airframe precluded determination of the fire’s ignition source.

On November 25, 2009, at 1240 eastern standard time, a Cessna 170B, N2758D, was destroyed during a forced landing in Durham, North Carolina. The certificated airline transport pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight destined for Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (CHO), Charlottesville, Virginia. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to the pilot, shortly after departure from Cox Airport (NC81), Apex, North Carolina, the airplane's engine began to "run rough." The pilot attempted to troubleshoot the loss of power by "cycling the carburetor heat and magnetos, checking the fuel, and adjusting the throttle back and forth with no noticeable improvement." The airplane was at an altitude of about 800 feet when the pilot initiated a return to NC81. During the turn, the pilot noticed smoke coming from the right side of the engine, "which got progressively worse," and the engine lost total power. The pilot realized he would not be able to make it to NC81 and prepared for a forced landing in a pasture. The pilot reported the touchdown was uneventful; however, during the landing rollout, the airplane struck a fence. As the airplane came to rest, the pilot noted it was on fire and he rapidly evacuated himself and his passenger. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed it was completely consumed by the post-crash fire with the exception of the tail section. The engine could not be examined due to the severe fire damage, and the propeller blades displayed slight "s-bending." The fire's ignition source was not located. The engine logbook was not located during the investigation, and assumed to be destroyed in the airplane during the post-crash fire. Examination of the airplane logbook revealed the most recent annual inspection was performed on the airplane on July 22, 2009 with no anomalies noted. The tachometer time as of the inspection was 1,861 hours. The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single and multi-engine land. He also held a flight instructor certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued on August 12, 2009. At the time of the accident, the pilot reported 20,204 hours of total flight experience, 50 of which were in the make and model of the accident airplane. He had accumulated 48 hours in the previous 90 days and 9 hours in the previous 30 days. Weather recorded at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, about 9 miles to the east of the accident site, at 1251, included wind from 240 degrees at 7 knots, 10 miles visibility, a broken cloud layer at 1,600 feet, temperature 13 degrees C, dew point 9 degrees C, and altimeter setting of 30.03 inches mercury.