Accident Overview
A training flight experienced a sudden engine power loss during a touch-and-go landing maneuver, leading to a forced landing that ended with the aircraft colliding with trees. The incident occurred approximately 20 minutes into a planned 1.1-hour flight.
Flight Details
The training flight had completed 15 minutes of airwork before returning to the airport. The pilots established a normal approach for a series of touch-and-go landings. Pre-landing checks included the application of carburetor heat. After a wheel landing, with the carburetor heat selected to the cold position, the dual student continued the landing roll and applied takeoff power for a climb. The airplane operated normally until reaching an altitude of 100-150 feet above the ground, at which point the engine lost power without warning. The pilots elected to continue on the runway heading and collided with trees during the forced landing.
Investigation Findings
An examination of the engine assembly revealed that both magnetos produced ignition sparks for all cylinders. The spark plugs appeared relatively new and showed normal wear. A small quantity of fuel and water was recovered from the carburetor bowl; however, no evidence of water was found in the fuel system fuel filters. A review of recovered weather data from the nearest reporting facility disclosed that weather conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor ice at glide and cruise power settings.