Cessna 120 N7227E accident near Morristown, Tennessee

Probable cause

The partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

NTSB analysis

An adequate quantity of fuel was on-board at the beginning of the instructional flight. No discrepancies were reported during the preflight inspection or engine run-up. After takeoff, the student pilot performed airwork, then flew to a nearby airport where he performed a low pass over the runway. At the completion of the low pass, he applied power to climb, but the engine "popped" and experienced a loss of power. The flight instructor took the controls and maneuvered the airplane to a golf course and landed on a fairway. During the landing roll, the airplane rolled onto an area of vegetation and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. Postaccident fuel leakage was noted from both fuel tanks and the carburetor was broken off from its attach point to the engine. All engine controls remained attached to the carburetor. Only a cursory examination of the engine was performed and no discrepancies were noted that would have precluded engine operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA09LA407 for the full record.