Event CEN13LA298

Factual narrative

On May 22, 2013, about 1050 mountain daylight time, an Allen, Jan A - Challenger II, amateur built, single-engine airplane, N269MM, was substantially damaged during an off-airport forced landing during climb to cruise near Greeley-Weld County (GXY), Greeley, Colorado. The pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and a flight plan had not been filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight departed from GXY about 1048 and was destined for Erie Municipal Airport (EIK), Erie, Colorado.After engine start, the airplane had been taxied to the runway at idle power. Shortly after takeoff, after climbing to about 1,200 feet above ground level, the pilot reported a complete loss of engine power. He was twice able to get the engine briefly restarted, but each time it ran for only two or three seconds. The pilot performed a downwind off-airport landing to a flat grassy farm field. During the landing roll the airplane impacted a 12 inch berm hidden in the grass which resulted in a collapse of the nose gear, a complete separation of the left main gear, and substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The airplane came to rest upright and the two occupants exited the cockpit unassisted. There was adequate alcohol-free gasoline on-board, and there was adequate oil in the engine oil injection reservoir. The electric fuel boost pump, engine driven fuel pump, fuel lines, fuel filter, carburetors, spark plugs, and other components were examined with no defects noted. The airplane was not equipped with provisions for carburetor heat, nor was it required to be. A postaccident examination showed that the two-cylinder, two-stroke carbureted engine was seized and could not rotate because of a mechanical restriction. There was evidence of vertical scoring on the piston and cylinder wall which appeared to originate near the intake port on cylinder number one. A tear-down examination of the engine confirmed further evidence of vertical scoring on the pistons, damage to the piston rings, and evidence of vertical scoring on the cylinder walls. The closest official weather reporting station was at GXY, about 1 mile north from the accident location. At 1055 the Automated Surface Observation System at GXY reported wind from 110 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear of clouds, temperature 18 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 4 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.96 inches of Mercury. The carburetor icing probability chart from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB): CE-09-35 Carburetor Icing Prevention, June 30, 2009, shows a probability of icing at cruise and glide power and a probability of serious icing at glide power at the temperature and dew point reported at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that, after starting the engine, he taxied the experimental, amateur-built airplane to the runway at idle power. Shortly after takeoff, the engine lost total power, and the pilot subsequently performed a downwind, off-airport landing. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted terrain, which resulted in the collapse of the nose landing gear, a complete separation of the left main landing gear, and substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The airplane came to rest upright, and the two occupants exited the cockpit unassisted. A postaccident examination revealed that the two-cylinder, two-stroke carbureted engine was seized and could not rotate because of a mechanical restriction. The piston rings were found damaged, and evidence of vertical scoring was found on the pistons and cylinder walls; the scoring appeared to have originated near the cylinder's intake port. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of serious icing at glide power. It is likely that the carburetor accumulated ice while the pilot taxied the airplane to the runway at idle power and that the engine ingested that ice sometime after takeoff, which resulted in mechanical damage to the engine and its subsequent loss of power. The airplane was not equipped with provisions for carburetor heat nor was it required to be. 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-Engine fuel and control-Fuel control/carburetor-Capability exceeded - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Effect on equipment - C