DURING CRUISE FLIGHT THE VOLKSWAGEN POWERED EXPERIMENTAL HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE SUSTAINED A TOTAL NON MECHANICAL LOSS OF POWER AND WAS FORCED TO LAND ON UNSUITABLE TERRAIN WHERE IT NOSED OVER. THE CONDITIONS IN FLIGHT WERE CONDUCIVE FOR CARBURETOR ICING AND THE PILOT LATER STATED THAT WAS PROBABLY WHAT OCCURRED. A TEARDOWN OF THE ENGINE AND TESTS OF THE COMPONENTS DID NOT REVEAL ANY ANOMALIES. THE ENGINE USED A THROTTLE BODY WITH A SLIDING AIR REGULATOR INSTEAD OF A CARBURETOR. THERE WAS NO CARBURETOR DEICE SYSTEM INSTALLED ON THE ENGINE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE WAS 58 DEGREES AND THE DEW POINT WAS 35 DEGREES.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

Index for Nov1992 | Index of months