Accident Summary
The incident occurred during a cross-country flight when the engine experienced a loss of power. The pilot reported that approximately two hours into the flight, the engine stumbled and subsequently lost power. In response, the pilot performed a series of emergency procedures: he cycled the carburetor heat control, set the mixture to full rich, verified the fuel selector valve position, and cycled the magneto ignition. The only response to these actions was erratic firing when one magneto was selected, and no response when the other was selected. The pilot then identified a fallow farm field and conducted a forced landing. During the landing, the nose landing gear separated from the aircraft, and the airplane nosed over. The aircraft sustained substantial damage as a result.
Environmental Conditions
The destination airport, which was roughly 20 miles north of the accident location, reported a temperature of 21 degrees Celsius and a dew point of 16 degrees Celsius. According to a carburetor icing probability chart, these temperature and dew point conditions were within the range where moderate icing can occur during cruise power settings.