Event CEN11CA028

Factual narrative

The non-certificated pilot had completed a touch-and-go maneuver in the single-engine, amateur-built airplane, when the converted automobile engine began to lose power. The pilot attempted to make it around the landing pattern; however, a short time later the engine lost complete power, resulting in the pilot performing an off airport landing to a plowed field. The airplane came to rest in an upright position and the pilot was able to exit unassisted. The airplane’s wing struts were bent during the forced landing. An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined. The non-certificated pilot had completed a touch-and-go maneuver in the amateur-built airplane when the engine began to lose power. The pilot attempted to complete a traffic pattern to the runway, but shortly thereafter the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot elected to perform an off-airport landing to a plowed field. The airplane’s wing struts were bent during the forced landing. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Power plant-(general)-Failure - C
• C Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C