Piper PA28 accident near Plant City, Florida, October 18, 2018

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

The pilot reported that he was practicing flight maneuvers before returning to the departure airport. As he approached the airport, he entered on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for a touch-and-go landing. After the touch-and-go landing, while the airplane was climbing out and accelerating, the engine began to “sputtering” several times and then lost power completely. The pilot performed a forced landing to trees below and the airplane’s wings and fuselage were substantially damaged. Postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the pilot’s description of the fuel onboard at the time he departed, and the duration of the flight, sufficient fuel should have been available when the loss of engine power occurred. The pilot also reported that at the time of the loss of engine power, the carburetor heat was off. He did not report activating it prior to or following the time the engine began losing power. The temperature and dew point at the time of the accident was conducive to the formation of carburetor icing. Given this information, it is likely that the loss of engine power was due to the formation of carburetor ice during the approach to landing and subsequent takeoff.

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.