What happened
Following 15 minutes of completed airwork, the pilots of a training flight returned to the airport to perform a series of touch-and-go landings. The crew followed standard pre-landing check procedures, which included the use of carburetor heat.
After completing a wheel landing, the pilot placed the carburetor heat in the cold position and continued the landing roll. As the pilot applied takeoff power to initiate a climb, the engine lost power without warning while the aircraft was between 100 and 150 feet above the ground. The pilots maintained the runway heading but were forced to perform an emergency landing, during which the aircraft collided with trees. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation
An examination of the engine assembly revealed that both magnetos were functioning correctly, producing ignition sparks for all cylinders. The spark plugs were relatively new and exhibited normal wear patterns.
Investigators recovered a small amount of fuel and water from the carburetor bowl. However, no evidence of water was discovered within the fuel filters or the broader fuel system. The engine failure occurred approximately 20 minutes into a planned 1.1-hour flight. A review of weather data from the nearest reporting station indicated that atmospheric conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor ice at both glide and cruise power settings.