Incident Overview
On November 8, 2008, at approximately 1000 central daylight time, a single-engine Piper 140 airplane, registration N8485R, was substantially damaged during a forced landing. The event occurred shortly after takeoff from AL Mangham Jr. Regional Airport (KOCH) in Nacogdoches, Texas. The pilot, who held an airline transport pilot certificate, and the flight instructor were not injured. The aircraft was registered and operated by a private individual. Visual meteorological conditions were present, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Sequence of Events
According to the flight instructor and the airline transport pilot, they were conducting a flight review. After approximately one hour of performing several flight maneuvers, they proceeded to execute a power-off landing. During the subsequent takeoff from runway 18, the engine lost partial power. When it became apparent that the aircraft would not be able to clear nearby trees, the pilot and instructor elected to perform a forced landing.
Damage and Post-Incident Inspection
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane and reported that during the forced landing, the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The aircraft was subsequently recovered to a hangar. The flight instructor and the FAA inspector inspected the throttle and mixture controls before deciding to run the engine. The engine was started and allowed to warm up briefly. A magneto check was performed at 2,000 rpm, which was found to be satisfactory. However, when the carburetor heat control was pulled, the engine began to run roughly and was unable to maintain 2,000 rpm.
Cause
The reason for the loss of engine power was not identified.