N7883U

On September 6, 1999, at 1250 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N7883U, collided with the ground during an attempted forced landing near Buchanan, Georgia. The personal flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The private pilot and his two passengers were not injured. The flight departed Stockmar Airport in Villa Rica, Georgia, at 1200.

The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to show the airplane to two prospective buyers. According to the pilot, several minutes into the flight the engine lost power. Attempts to restart the engine failed. The pilot reported that he was also searching for an emergency landing area. As the airplane got lower the pilot maneuvered the airplane to avoid a collision with utility lines; the airplane subsequently collided with the ground, and rested adjacent to a fence inside a pasture. The terrain at the accident site was rough and uneven.

The post-accident examination of the airplane at the accident site disclosed that the airplane sustained structural damage to the underside of the nose section of the airframe. The carburetor assembly was broken from the normally installed position, and a small engine oil leak was also noted on the bottom of the engine. The wreckage examination also revealed structural damage to the empennage section of the airframe.

During the subsequent examination of the engine assembly, raw fuel was observed on several spark plugs, and several cylinders displayed dark residue inside the combustion chambers. A post-accident functional check of the engine assembly was accomplished. During the engine run, it operated normally up to 2000 RPM; safety considerations prevented full operation.

A review of weather data at the approximate time of the accident disclosed that conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor ice. The pilot reported that the flight departed with approximately 40 gallons of automotive fuel. The pilot also did not report applying carburetor heat prior to the total loss of engine power.