Event ERA10LA504

Factual narrative

On August 28, 2010, about 1200 eastern daylight time, an Aeronca 11AC, N85929, operated by a private pilot, was substantially damaged during a forced landing, after experiencing a loss of engine power during approach to the Twin Lakes Airport (8A7), Mocksville, North Carolina. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight that was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to pilot, the airplane was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for runway 27, a 2,943-foot-long, 50-foot-wide, asphalt runway, at an altitude of 1,000 feet above ground level, when it experienced a complete loss of engine power. The pilot made an immediate turn toward the runway to ensure that the airplane would clear an area of tall trees. The pilot was able to glide the airplane onto the runway; however, he subsequently realized that he would not be able to stop before the end of the runway. The terrain beyond the runway sloped downward steeply and he elected to turn into bushes located off the right side of the runway. The airplane contacted the bushes, and flipped over, prior to coming to rest, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing, fuselage, and empennage. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions. The pilot stated that he believed that the loss of engine power was due to carburetor icing, and that he had applied carburetor heat, just prior to the loss of engine power. According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1946 and equipped with a Teledyne Continental Motors A-65-8 series, 65-horsepower engine. It had been operated for about 10 hours, since its most recent annual inspection, which was performed on March 20, 2010. The reported weather at an airport located about 11 miles southeast of the accident site, at 1159, was: wind calm; visibility 10 statute miles; scattered clouds at 3,200 feet; temperature 28 degrees Celsius (C); dew point 19 degrees C; altimeter 30.22 inches of mercury. Review of an FAA carburetor icing envelope chart revealed that the reported temperature and dew point at the time of the accident was within the "serious icing (glide power)" area of the chart. The pilot reported that the airplane was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, when it experienced a complete loss of engine power. He was able to glide the airplane onto the runway; however, he subsequently realized that he would not be able to stop before the end of the runway, and elected to turn right into bushes, rather than encounter the down-sloping terrain located beyond the runway. The airplane contacted the bushes, and flipped over, prior to coming to rest, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing, fuselage, and empennage. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions which would have resulted in a loss of engine power. The pilot stated that he believed the loss of engine power was due to carburetor icing, and that he had applied carburetor heat, just prior to the loss of engine power. Review of a carburetor icing envelope chart revealed that the temperature and dew point reported at an airport located about 11 miles southeast of the accident site, at the time of the accident, was within the "serious icing (glide power)" area of the chart. 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 Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Effect on equipment - C
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C