Student Pilot's Engine Trouble Leads to Crash After Touch and Go; Mixture Control Failure Found (N8828N)

Accident Sequence

After completing a successful cross-country flight, the student pilot returned to the airport and performed a touch-and-go landing. Shortly after the touch-and-go, a flight instructor who had departed the airport in another airplane heard the student pilot state on the radio frequency that he was experiencing engine trouble. The instructor asked for the student's position and then advised him to maintain glide airspeed and turn toward the airport. The student pilot responded over the radio that he could not make it to the airport and was going into the trees. The wreckage was subsequently located approximately 1,700 feet west-southwest of the approach end of runway 36, in a wooded residential area.

Aircraft Examination

Examination of the airplane revealed that the mixture control had separated at or near the mounting bracket adjacent to the carburetor. The inner cable strands were worn, and the outer cable sleeve was corroded. Visual examination of the broken wire ends with the aid of an optical microscope showed that all wires had severe wear, with most worn completely through before the final fracture.