Forced Landing After Engine Power Loss (N2KD)

Incident Overview and Damage Assessment The pilot reported that the flight proceeded without incident until he was cleared to land on runway 30. During the final approach, the engine lost power, prompting a forced landing in a field approximately 1.5 miles short of the runway. The aircraft struck a fiber optics cable before touching down, then broke through a fence and entered an irrigation ditch measuring 3 feet wide and 2.5 feet deep. The impact sheared the landing gear, with the nose gear penetrating the cabin floor. Additional damage included a crushed lower engine cowling, a torn-off left wingtip, broken engine mounts, and a dented vertical stabilizer. The pilot's written statement to the Federal Aviation Administration corroborated this account. ## Post-Accident Examination and Maintenance History A post-accident inspection revealed that the bolt and nut securing the throttle control cable to the fuel induction system were missing. Maintenance records indicated that on April 1, 2004, the engine was removed from the airframe for an inspection regarding metal contamination. This procedure would have required detaching the throttle control cable from the fuel induction system.