Piper PA 24-250 N6595P accident near Fair Oaks, California

Probable cause

The loss of engine power during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examinations of the airplane and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, after departure on a personal cross-country flight that he had made numerous times, he climbed the airplane to 6,500 feet mean sea level (msl) and then requested flight following services. As he neared the destination airport, he requested and received a descent to 3,500 feet msl from air traffic control (ATC). Upon reaching 3,500 feet msl, he pushed the carburetor heat off, and the engine quit. He reapplied the carburetor heat, but the engine did not restart. He advised ATC of the situation, and the controller gave him a heading to the closest airport. The pilot's continued attempts to restart the engine failed, and, when he realized the airplane was not going to be able to reach the airport, he executed a forced landing to a soccer field, and the airplane collided with a car, trees, and terrain. Examinations of the airplane and engine did not reveal evidence of any preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Fuel was found on board the airplane. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the atmospheric conditions were not conducive to the accumulation of carburetor ice at the time of the accident. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR14LA061 for the full record.