ERA21LA321 · Cubcrafters Inc CC11-160

The pilot stated that the engine suddenly stopped producing power while climbing at an altitude of about 400 ft above ground level after a touch-and-go landing. With no time to troubleshoot the reason for the loss of power, the pilot performed a forced landing to a field, where the airplane contacted a fence and the fuselage and right wing were substantially damaged. Weather conditions in the area at the time of the accident flight were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power; however, the description of the partial loss of engine power and the phase of flight at which it occurred were not consistent with carburetor icing. A postaccident examination and test run revealed that the engine was able to operate normally. During the examination it was noted that a fuel valve was leaking, though it is likely that this was due to damage sustained during the accident. Additionally, the electronic ignition system backup battery voltage was low. During the engine test run when the main ignition system circuit breakers were deactivated, and with the right side backup ignition selected, the engine lost power (and appropriate annunciations were illuminated on the instrument panel). Given that the pilot did not report any ignition system issues or annunciations, it is unlikely that the voltage issue noted with the backup system played a role in the reported loss of engine power. Based on this information, a reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset