ERA12LA545

The pilot completed an uneventful preflight inspection and engine run-up before takeoff. However, as the airplane climbed to about 100 feet above the ground, it experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine, so he performed a forced landing to a corn field. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane’s fuel tanks contained about 21 gallons of uncontaminated aviation gasoline. The airplane had been operated about 19 hours in the 3 months since its most recent annual inspection, and the engine had been operated about 1,830 hours since it was overhauled. Although weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power, the investigation was unable to determine the cause of the power loss.

On September 1, 2012, about 1320 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172E, N377SP, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged during a forced landing, after it experienced a total loss of engine power during the initial climb after takeoff from a private airstrip in East Bend, North Carolina. The private pilot and a passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight destined for the Blue Ridge Airport, Martinsville, Virginia. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot reported that he completed an uneventful preflight inspection and engine run-up prior to beginning a takeoff roll from the 2,500-foot-long, turf runway. As the airplane climbed to about 100 feet above the ground, it experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine. He lowered the nose to avoid a stall, and performed a forced landing to a corn field, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and the empennage. The airplane was manufactured in 1964, and was equipped with a Continental O-300-D, 145-horsepower engine. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane’s fuel tanks contained approximately 21 gallons of 100-low-lead aviation gasoline, which was absent of contamination. At the time of the accident, the airplane had been operated for about 19 hours since its most recent annual inspection, which was performed on June 2, 2012. In addition, the engine had been operated for about 1,830 hours since overhaul. The weather reported at airport located about 15 miles east of the accident site included a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius (C) and a dew point of 20 degrees C. Review of an FAA Carburetor Icing Envelope chart placed the reported temperature and dew point in the "serious icing at glide power" area of the chart.