Amateur-built RV 4 N70PM accident near Boerne, Texas

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined, because post accident examination did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot was flying his experimental, amateur-built airplane at an altitude between 500 and 800 ft above ground level when several witnesses heard the engine sounds suddenly stop. The airplane then entered a steep bank toward a nearby airstrip, descended, and disappeared from view. The airplane impacted thickly-wooded, rocky terrain and came to rest upright about 100 ft from the edge of the runway. Although the airplane was destroyed by post-crash fire, examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of carburetor icing at cruise power and a potential for serious carburetor icing at glide power; however, it could not be determined if or to what extent the engine may have accumulated carburetor ice.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN15FA032 for the full record.