N58833

On December 24, 2000, about 1130 Eastern Standard Time, a Cessna 182P, N58833, was substantially damaged during a forced landing after takeoff from the Freeway Airport (W00), Mitchellville, Maryland. The certificated commercial pilot and a passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight destined for the Easton Airport, Easton, Maryland. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

During a telephone interview, the pilot stated that he performed a pre-flight inspection of the airplane, which included sumping the airplane's wings and "belly" fuel drains. After an engine run-up, which included a carburetor heat check, the airplane departed Runway 18. The pilot described the takeoff roll and lift-off as normal; however, when the airplane was about 250 to 300 feet above the runway, he experienced a significant loss of engine power, "like the throttle was pulled back to the idle position." He applied carburetor heat, and verified that the throttle, propeller, and mixture settings were in the full forward positions. The pilot performed a forced landing into trees, about 3/4 mile south of the airport. The pilot further described the power loss as, "very smooth, with no sputtering." He did not recall the engine RPM.

Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector and representative from Teledyne Continental Motors did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions. The top rows of spark plugs were removed. Their electrodes were intact and sooted. The engine crankshaft was then rotated by turning the propeller and thumb compression was noted on all cylinders. Additionally, spark was obtained from all top spark plug leads.

Examination of the carburetor did not reveal any malfunctions. Additionally, the fuel observed in the carburetor inlet line and carburetor bowl was light blue and absent of contamination. It was noted that the carbureted air box was unobstructed.

The pilot reported 800 hours of total flight experience, of which, about 600 hours was in the make and model of the accident airplane.

The temperature and dewpoint reported about the time of the accident, at an airport about 17 miles north-northeast of W00 was: 34 degrees F, and 12 degrees F, respectively. Examination of an FAA carburetor icing probability chart revealed that the reported temperature and dewpoint was outside of the probable icing range. Additionally, the pilot stated that the engine was equipped with a carburetor ice detector, which did not indicate a carburetor icing condition.