Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

The pilot was established on a base leg for runway 15 (6,000 feet by 60 feet, asphalt) when the engine lost power. The pilot lined up with an adjacent road and continued for a forced landing. Prior to the landing he checked his carburetor heat, mixture, throttle, and magnetos in an attempt to troubleshoot the power loss. He stated that he observed car lights and "swerved into [the] tree." The airplane became lodged in the tree, crushing both wings aft and wrinkling the vertical stabilizer.

The airplane was removed from the tree and relocated to a hangar in Greeley, Colorado, for further examination. An examination of the engine and related systems revealed no anomalies.

The closest official weather observation station was City of Colorado Springs (COS), Colorado Springs, Colorado, located 11.6 nautical miles (nm) south southwest of the accident site. The elevation of the weather observation station was 6,184 feet msl. The routine aviation weather report (METAR) for COS, issued at 1654, reported, temperature minus 01 degrees Celsius (C); dewpoint, minus 05 degrees C. According to the carburetor icing probability chart conditions were conducive for "serious icing at glide power" and "serious icing at cruise power." loss of power due to carburetor icing. Contributing factors were weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing, unsuitable terrain available on which to make a forced landing and the tree.