What happened
Following an uneventful flight, the pilot received clearance to land on runway 30. During the final approach phase, the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of engine power. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing in a field located approximately 1.5 miles short of the runway.
During the descent and touchdown, the aircraft struck a fiber optics cable before contacting the ground in the field. The aircraft then proceeded through a fence and struck an irrigation ditch measuring 3 feet wide and 2.5 feet deep. The impact resulted in significant damage, including the shearing of the landing gear and the nose gear penetrating the cabin floor. Additionally, the bottom half of the engine cowling was crushed, the left wing tip was torn off, the engine mounts were broken, and the vertical stabilizer sustained dents. There were no fatalities reported.
The investigation
A post-accident examination of the aircraft revealed that the bolt and nut used to attach the throttle control cable to the fuel induction were missing. A review of the aircraft maintenance records showed that on April 1, 2004, the engine had been removed from the airframe for an inspection regarding metal contamination. This specific maintenance procedure required the detachment of the throttle control cable from the fuel induction.