History of the Flight
The pilot, aged 70, held a Private Pilot's Licence and had logged 235 flying hours, 70 of which were on the Cessna 175B type. Approximately one week before the accident, during refuelling, the pilot noticed that fuel was only being consumed from the right tank when the selector was set to both tanks. He refuelled only the right tank (26 US gallon capacity) with 40 litres and conducted a ground run with the left tank selected for about 15 minutes; the engine ran normally, but fuel consumption from the left tank was not confirmed.
On the day of the accident, the pilot departed his private strip at Acle at 1245 hrs and flew to Tibenham gliding site, arriving at 1308 hrs. After an hour, he flew a 16-minute positioning flight to Priory Farm. Both sectors were uneventful with the fuel selector set to both tanks. At 1513 hrs, he departed Priory Farm to return home, selecting the left tank at 1516 hrs while cruising at 1,700 ft. He joined overhead his strip and entered a right-hand circuit to land on Runway 34 (1,500 ft by 75 ft dry grass). On downwind, he completed pre-landing checks, selected 20° flap, trimmed, set 1,700 RPM, and turned carburettor heat ON. Believing he was high on final, he selected 30° flap and applied full aft elevator trim. The aircraft crossed the threshold at correct height at 70 kt IAS but speed was too fast, so he initiated a go-around with full power. As power was applied, the nose pitched up rapidly; the pilot applied forward pressure on the control column. At about 40 ft, the engine stopped and the stall warning sounded. To avoid his property to the left, he applied full right aileron. The nose dropped, and the aircraft struck the ground heavily in a right-wing-low, nose-down attitude, coming to rest against a hangar corner with the left outer wing on the roof. The pilot, wearing a safety harness with upper body restraint, suffered serious injuries. He switched off the electrical supply and vacated through the right door; the left door jammed.
Aircraft Handling and Performance
The Cessna 175B has four stages of flap (10° each). During a go-around, increased thrust combined with flap position causes a significant nose-up pitching moment requiring anticipation to avoid over-pitching and airspeed loss. The pilot was familiar with this effect from training and used 30° flap for approaches (instead of 40°) to make go-arounds easier to control. With only the pilot on board, the centre of gravity was near the forward limit, which could require full aft elevator trim for comfortable control forces on approach.
According to the Owner's Manual, approach speed with 40° flap is between 54 and 63 mph depending on weight. The stall warning horn activates 5–10 mph above stalling speed. At the estimated landing weight with 30° flap, the stall speed was about 54 mph, so the stall warning would activate between 59 and 64 mph.
Examination of Wreckage
Post-accident inspection revealed substantial damage to the airframe and engine. The pitch trim was found at full NOSE UP, the flap lever at second stage (20°), throttle fully forward, mixture RICH, and carburettor heat in the COLD position (but impact-displacement made its position unreliable). The fuel selector was in the OFF position, likely moved during impact. The right fuel tank was substantially full, the left tank contained little fuel. Fuel system pipework was intact except for a crushed section at the engine firewall. The Gascolator filter bowl was empty; a spring-loaded drain valve may have been opened by impact. The carburettor contained only about 30% of expected fuel volume. All jets were clear, with no contamination. A spark was obtained from magnetos. The propeller condition indicated the engine was not turning on impact.
Analysis
The balance of evidence suggests the engine stopped due to temporary or partial fuel starvation during the approach. This reduced the carburettor float chamber fuel level to a degree that it could not supply the required mixture when power was applied for the go-around, though it sustained low power during approach.