ERA18LA026

The private pilot stated that, after a go-around, he was on the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern when the engine lost partial power. He applied carburetor heat, but it did not restore full power to the engine. With the airplane unable to reach the runway, he performed an off-airport landing to a field, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing leading edges and engine mounts. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that there was an insect nest in the carburetor heat control box that prevented it from functioning properly. The examination revealed no evidence of other preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at glide engine power settings. It is likely that the initial loss of engine power was the result of an accumulation of ice in the carburetor that could not be removed by using carburetor heat due to the insect nest.

On November 18, 2017, about 1110 eastern standard time, a Piper PA28-140, N8758N, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Bladenboro, North Carolina. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the local, personal flight that departed Bladenboro Airport (3W6). The flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.In interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector the pilot stated that after takeoff from runway 20, he circled to land on runway 02, but then initiated a go-around. On the downwind leg of the traffic pattern to runway 02, the engine experienced a partial loss of power. He applied carburetor heat, but it did not restore power to the engine. The airplane was unable to reach the runway and the pilot elected to land in a small field. Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed damage to the engine mounts, and wing leading edges. The propeller was manually rotated, and a spark was produced on all spark plug leads. Both fuel tanks were more than half-full of uncontaminated fuel. A mud dauber nest was observed in the carburetor heat control box, which prevented the carburetor heat valve from fully opening. The four-seat, low-wing airplane was manufactured in 1969 and was equipped with a Lycoming O-360, 180-horsepower reciprocating engine. The most recent annual was completed on September 26, 2017. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. He reported 60 hours of total flight experience on his most recent application for an FAA third-class medical certificate, which was issued on March 9, 2015. The weather conditions reported at the Columbus County Municipal Airport (CPC), Whiteville, North Carolina, which was located about 16 miles south of the accident site, included wind from 180° at 7 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, ceiling broken at 5,500 ft, temperature 18° C, dew point 10° C, and an altimeter setting of 30.03 inches of mercury. An FAA carburetor icing probability chart indicated the temperature and dew point conditions were conducive to the formation of serious icing at glide power.