Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA
N77942
LUSCOMBE 8A
The private pilot reported that, shortly after the airplane departed the airport for the personal flight, the engine lost power. His attempt to restart the engine was unsuccessful. The pilot executed a forced landing to an open lot, and the airplane collided with terrain during the landing. Postaccident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Weather conditions about the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of carburetor icing at glide power. However, it could not be determined whether carburetor ice caused the loss of engine power because the engine was operating at takeoff power at the time.
On July 18, 2014, about 1816 Pacific daylight time, a Luscombe 8A, N77942, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a reported loss of engine power during cruise flight near Rancho Cucamonga, California. The certified private pilot, the sole occupant on board, was seriously injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wing. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The local flight originated from Cable Airport (CCB), Upland, California about 1800.Witnesses in the area stated they observed the airplane in cruise flight heading eastward when the engine quit. The airplane was attempting to land when it impacted terrain short of an open field. According to the pilot, shortly after departing from CCB on a standard departure procedure to the east, the engine quit. He attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. He executed a forced landing by turning the airplane initially to the southwest and then shortly afterwards to the north, to avoid power lines in the area. He positioned the propeller assembly in the horizontal position to prevent a propeller strike during the landing. An onsite examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the aft fuselage was buckled and the forward fuselage and firewall were crushed. The left wing was separated at the wing root area and repositioned over the right wing by first responders. The battery was removed from the airplane. Fuel continued to drain from the wings. The postaccident examination of the airframe and engine, was conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, and revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Additional examination information can be found in the wreckage examination report with accompanying pictures located in the public docket for this accident case file. Temperature and dew point values for the approximate time of the accident indicated that the relative humidity was approximately 40 percent. When the intersection of the two temperature values was located on a chart that depicted carburetor ice envelopes, the point was in the region of the chart denoted as "Serious Icing at Glide Power."
The loss of engine power during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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