Piper PA-28-180 accident near Alexandria, Louisiana, December 27, 2009

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The private pilot completed the pre-landing checklist on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern in his single-engine airplane, which included switching the fuel selector to the fullest (right wing) tank, turning the fuel pump switch on, and making sure the mixture control was at the full rich position. The pilot did not use carburetor heat since the checklist said to only apply it "as necessary" and there was no indication of carburetor icing. As the airplane turned on to the base leg, the engine stopped producing power and the pilot made a forced landing to a plowed field. During the landing the airplane nosed over. The engine was later test run on the airplane using fuel from the right wing tank. The engine started immediately and ran smoothly. No anomalies were noted except that when carburetor heat was applied a drop followed by a rise in rpm was noted, which is consistent with ice buildup in the carburetor. Despite the possible presence of ice during the test run, a review of the Carburetor Icing Probability Chart revealed that the conditions at the time of the accident were not conducive to light, moderate, or serious icing conditions and the cause of the power loss could not be determined.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.