What happened
While performing agricultural spraying operations, a commercial pilot was applying fertilizer to a cotton field. During a turn following a swath run, the pilot reported that the engine experienced a slight increase in RPM, immediately followed by a loss of power through the propeller.
The pilot attempted to recover by pushing the throttle, mixture, and propeller controls fully forward; however, the aircraft failed to respond. Although the engine continued to run, the aircraft lost airspeed. The pilot managed to dump the remaining fertilizer before the aircraft impacted the ground.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft nosed over, resulting in the propeller separating from the engine, the right wing being severed, and damage to the fuselage. The aircraft came to rest in an inverted position. The pilot was not injured.
The investigation
An investigation was conducted to determine why the aircraft lost thrust. Investigators were unable to find any mechanical evidence to explain the reported loss of propeller thrust.