Event ERA21LA300

Factual narrative

On July 26, 2021, about 0900 central daylight time, a Cessna 140, N72129, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Murfreesboro Municipal Airport (MBT), Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The airline transport pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot completed a preflight inspection with no anomalies noted, and reported that the airplane contained about 14 gallons of fuel. After flying for about half an hour, the pilot entered the MBT traffic pattern. During the initial climb after the second touch-and-go landing, about 100 ft above ground level, the engine “sputtered,” lost total power, and the propeller continued to windmill. The pilot performed a forced landing onto a road, during which the airplane struck a wire, pitched downward, and impacted the road. The airplane slid about 300 ft and came to rest upright, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and wing struts. The pilot reported that during landing, he typically had the carburetor heat ON until the airplane was on short final. Then, he would turn the carburetor heat OFF and perform the landing. He stated that he had a “similar” situation occur previously, during which the engine lost total power during an idle check while on the ground. After the power loss, he was able to restart the engine, and subsequently had the engine examined with no anomalies noted. Since that issue could not be duplicated, he “concluded it was carb[uretor] icing.” An examination of the engine was performed by a mechanic under the supervision of an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. There were no mechanical malfunctions or failures found that would have precluded normal engine operation. The reported weather about the time of the accident included a temperature of 27°C and a dew point of 23°C. The calculated relative humidity was 80 percent. Review of the carburetor icing probability chart contained within FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 revealed the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were "conducive to serious icing at glide [idle] power." After flying for about 30 minutes, the pilot entered the airport traffic pattern and performed touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. On the initial climb after the second touch-and-go, about 100 ft above ground level, the engine “sputtered,” lost total power, and the propeller continued to windmill. The pilot performed a forced landing to a nearby road, during which the airplane struck a wire, pitched downward, and impacted the road, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and wing struts. Examination of the engine revealed no malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he typically conducted the approach to landing with the carburetor heat on until the airplane was on short final, then he would turn it off. He also described a previous situation during which the engine had lost total power in a similar way while on the ground. After the engine was examined following that event, the pilot concluded that the loss of power was a result of carburetor icing. The temperature and dew point on the day of the accident were favorable to the development of serious carburetor icing at a glide power setting. Given the pilot’s previous experience with the engine’s susceptibility to carburetor icing, the absence of mechanical anomalies found with the engine, and the pilot’s routine practice of turning the carburetor heat off before landing, it is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of 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).

• — Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-(general)-Not specified
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Effect on equipment