Event CEN13LA552

Factual narrative

On September 18, 2013, about 1920 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180 airplane, N4756L, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near William 'Tiny' Zehnder Field Airport (66G), Frankenmuth, Michigan. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, which departed without a flight plan about 1918. The pilot reported there was an intermittent loss of engine power about 700 feet above ground level during initial takeoff climb from Runway 9. The pilot initiated a turn back towards the airport, during which time the engine continued to run intermittently. He checked the engine mixture control to full rich, ignition switch on, magneto switch to both, and pulled the carburetor heat lever on. The pilot attempted to land on Runway 27, but due to continued intermittent engine power, elected to land in a hayfield. The airplane subsequently rolled into a cornfield, substantially damaging both wings. During examination by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel, the engine started and ran normally and no anomalies were observed with the engine or fuel system. A follow on examination of the engine and fuel systems was conducted by an airframe and power plant mechanic, with no engine or fuel system anomalies observed. The weather observation station at Saginaw County Airport (KHYX), Saginaw, Michigan, located about 10 miles northwest of the accident site, reported the following conditions at 1934: wind 170 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 21 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 10 C, altimeter setting 30.02. Based on the recorded temperature and dew point near the time of the accident, the engine was in the range of susceptibility for carburetor icing during glide power settings. The pilot reported that an intermittent engine power loss occurred during the initial takeoff climb. Despite troubleshooting efforts, the engine continued to run intermittently as the pilot initiated a turn back toward the airport. The pilot attempted to land on the runway but then chose to conduct a forced landing to a hayfield. The airplane subsequently rolled into a cornfield and was substantially damaged. Postaccident examinations of the airframe, engine, and fuel system revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The recorded temperature and dew point at the time of the accident was conducive for the accumulation of carburetor icing during glide power settings. However, the intermittent engine power loss occurred while the airplane was at a high-throttle setting during initial climb, which was not consistent with carburetor icing. 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 Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C