Engineering & Research 415 C N99307 accident near Mt Morris, Illinois

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of airplane control during a forced landing in gusting crosswind conditions and the airplane’s subsequent bounce on the runway following a loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot was conducting a local personal flight, which was the airplane's first flight following its annual inspection. The pilot reported that, while on the downwind leg, he reduced power for landing and that the engine then lost power. During the subsequent forced landing, the airplane encountered a crosswind gust and then bounced twice, which caused substantial firewall damage.

An examination of the carburetor revealed no anomalies. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of serious carburetor icing at descent power settings. It is likely that the engine power lost power due to carburetor icing.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN16LA299 for the full record.