Cessna 140 N72129 accident near Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power as a result of carburetor icing.

NTSB analysis

After flying for about 30 minutes, the pilot entered the airport traffic pattern and performed touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. On the initial climb after the second touch-and-go, about 100 ft above ground level, the engine “sputtered,” lost total power, and the propeller continued to windmill. The pilot performed a forced landing to a nearby road, during which the airplane struck a wire, pitched downward, and impacted the road, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and wing struts. Examination of the engine revealed no malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot reported that he typically conducted the approach to landing with the carburetor heat on until the airplane was on short final, then he would turn it off. He also described a previous situation during which the engine had lost total power in a similar way while on the ground. After the engine was examined following that event, the pilot concluded that the loss of power was a result of carburetor icing.

The temperature and dew point on the day of the accident were favorable to the development of serious carburetor icing at a glide power setting. Given the pilot’s previous experience with the engine’s susceptibility to carburetor icing, the absence of mechanical anomalies found with the engine, and the pilot’s routine practice of turning the carburetor heat off before landing, it is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of carburetor icing.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA21LA300 for the full record.