Incident Overview
A general aviation airplane, recently retrieved from 18 months of storage and having undergone numerous repairs, was being flown from its initial departure airport to a destination for a pre-purchase inspection. The flight was intended to position the aircraft for inspection.
Sequence of Events
Approximately halfway through the flight, the engine began to run roughly. The pilot elected to land at an intermediate airport to examine the engine on the ground. After landing, the pilot inspected the engine but found no abnormalities. He then departed again for the intended destination.
About 45 minutes later, the engine suddenly stopped completely. The pilot performed a forced landing onto a golf course. After touchdown, while maneuvering to avoid a golfer, the airplane struck a tree and came to a stop in a sand trap.
Post-Accident Examination
At the accident scene, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector partially removed the engine cowl to disconnect the battery. All exterior damage was documented, and fuel was observed leaking from the fuel tanks. Subsequently, the wings were removed to facilitate transportation of the airplane to a storage facility.
At the storage facility, the engine was run while still attached to the airframe, both at idle and at power. However, for this test, fuel was supplied from a different source and plumbed directly into the carburetor. The reason for the total loss of engine power could not be determined based on the available information.
Damage Assessment
The airplane sustained damage from the tree impact and the forced landing. The exact extent of damage beyond the observed exterior damage and fuel leak is not specified.
Summary
A repositioning flight for a pre-purchase inspection ended with an engine failure and forced landing on a golf course. Despite post-accident engine testing with an alternative fuel source, investigators were unable to determine why the engine lost power.