Piper PA-28-235 accident near Bountiful, Utah, February 1, 2013

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

The pilot reported that, following an uneventful takeoff, he initiated a right turn to the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern when the engine lost power. He continued to turn the airplane right toward the departure runway while switching to the right fuel tank, but there was no change in engine power. Unable to make it to the runway, he initiated a forced landing into an open, snow-covered field. During the landing roll, the right main landing gear submerged in the snow, the airplane veered to the right, and the left wing struck the ground. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A local reporting station recorded the temperature as 43 degrees F and dew point as 28 degrees F. Although the reported weather conditions were conducive to carburetor icing at glide and cruise power, the engine was operating at a high power setting for takeoff, indicating that carburetor ice likely was not the reason for the loss of engine power.

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.