History of the Flight
The pilot was practicing circuits at Gloucestershire Airport. After successfully completing the first circuit, he was on short final for a second touch-and-go. He reported that he had completed the downwind checks and selected carburettor heat on the base leg. While on final approach, at about 150 ft height, after selecting full flap, he applied power to maintain the glideslope indicated by the PAPI lights. The engine did not respond. The pilot was wearing a noise-cancelling headset and could not determine whether the engine was running at idle or windmilling. The aircraft did not have sufficient airspeed or altitude to glide to the runway, so the pilot landed short, heavily impacting a large hedge at the edge of a field.
Damage and Injuries
The aircraft sustained damage to the wing spar, fuselage, landing gear, propeller, and engine mounts. The pilot was not injured.
Post-accident Inspection
After recovery, the aircraft was inspected by the engineering organisation responsible for its maintenance. They found no pre-impact defects with either the engine or the fuel system. The weather conditions were conducive to carburettor icing at descent power, but the pilot considered carburettor icing unlikely because he had confirmed the carburettor heat was working before takeoff and had selected it during the base leg. He also confirmed that full power had been available from the engine during the flight up to the point of the incident.