Accident Narrative
A Cessna 172 had just taken off and reached an altitude of 1500 feet when the engine quit. The pilot executed a forced landing in a gravel pit.
Investigation Findings
Examination of the carburetor revealed a 'jell type substance completely filling the accelerator pump housing.' Investigators determined that an unknown person had put automobile dry gas into the fuel tanks the day before the flight. By mixing dry gas, aviation fuel, and water, then freezing the mixture, investigators were able to produce a substance identical to the one found in the carburetor.
Engine Performance Post-Accident
After the accident, the engine could not be started using normal procedures. Repeated use of the primer was required, and even then the engine ran roughly.