ERA24LA014 · Piper PA-24-250

The pilot was flying cross-country to his home airport after purchasing the airplane. No problems were noted during the preflight inspection. About 40 minutes into the flight at 6,700 ft mean sea level (msl), he noticed a 5-inch drop in manifold pressure. He immediately applied carburetor heat for about 90 seconds. He stated that the airplane “buffered really hard.” He continued to monitor engine performance and applied carburetor heat no less than 4 times for about 30 seconds each time. With the carburetor heat still on he heard a bang and the airplane shuddered. There was no response from the propeller or the engine. The engine lost all power and he began looking for a road to land the airplane on. He discussed his intentions with air traffic control. Unable to find a road without powerlines or automobile traffic, he landed the airplane in a flat field. After touchdown, the airplane entered a cornfield and came to rest upright, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and lower fuselage. Examination of the engine and fuel system did not reveal evidence of an anomaly or malfunction that would have prevented normal operation. The airplane was operated in conditions conducive to carburetor icing at glide and cruise power and serious icing at glide power. Although the pilot reported that he used carburetor heat, it is likely that the ice had already accumulated to the degree that the carburetor heat was insufficient to melt the ice and restore engine power.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset