Narrative:

Student pilot initiated recovery from a descent in slow flight confign (40 degrees flaps, carburetor heat on), engine did not return to full power. Engine remained at 1650 RPM as student and instructor went through recovery procedures a second time. During second attempt to resume cruise RPM, engine dropped to 1500 RPM following 2 idle/full cycles of throttle. As part of second recovery aircraft was trimmed for best glide and a turn was initiated to return aircraft to airport approximately 14 mi south. While in descent instructor and student completed power loss procedures from aircraft checklist. Instructor contacted tower requesting clearance to land and advised ATC of partial power loss. Approximately 4 mi later the instructor contacted tower advising ATC that a forced landing was being made about 8 mi north of the airport. The instructor and student executed a forced landing in a plus or minus 3500 ft soybean field (plants 2 inches high). Landing was completed successfully, with no injuries to crew and no damage to aircraft. Crew was able to contact tower on the ground to update ATC of the situation and request assistance. During preliminary investigation, FAA operations inspector found the throttle cable assembly attachment hardware loose, which allowed movement of complete assembly, not only the throttle cable. FAA operations and airworthiness inspectors discussed a contributing factor in the failure as a possible case of airworthiness directive non compliance. The instructor did make an inspection of the aircraft logbooks several weeks earlier and did not find any discrepancies. Corrective action was made to the throttle assembly on site, whereupon the aircraft owner returned the aircraft to elkhart municipal airport. Upon further inspection of aircraft logbooks, FAA inspectors found the aircraft to be 4.9 hours beyond the 100 hour inspection. Flight instructor and other pilots did monitor inspection times on the aircraft on an inspection tracking board located in the company maintenance shop. The 100 hour inspection time on the tracking board was incorrect. Contributing factors include the repeated failure, repair and replacement of the aircraft and tach meters, recent purchase of the aircraft with the pressure to place it into service as soon as possible, inadequate company inspection tracking procedures. Aircraft logbooks are stored in a locked/fireproof cabinet and were not easily available to pilots and maintenance personnel to verify posted tracking board information. Prior to this flight, the instructor made 2 1-HR instructional flts on jun/xx/94, and jun/yy/94. On all 3 flts, the instructor checked the aircraft inspection time tracking board personally and found the available hours to be less than the 100 hour inspection times. Additionally, the instructor believes the aircraft was operated with an inaccurate weight and balance data sheet as the aircraft recently had a radio removed. At the time the instructor believed the equipment removal was an insignificant and temporary event and was recorded appropriately in the aircraft records.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA SEL TRAINING ACFT MAKES OFF ARPT FORCED LNDG DUE TO PARTIAL PWR LOSS. THERE WAS NO ACFT DAMAGE OR INJURIES.

Narrative: STUDENT PLT INITIATED RECOVERY FROM A DSCNT IN SLOW FLT CONFIGN (40 DEGS FLAPS, CARB HEAT ON), ENG DID NOT RETURN TO FULL PWR. ENG REMAINED AT 1650 RPM AS STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR WENT THROUGH RECOVERY PROCS A SECOND TIME. DURING SECOND ATTEMPT TO RESUME CRUISE RPM, ENG DROPPED TO 1500 RPM FOLLOWING 2 IDLE/FULL CYCLES OF THROTTLE. AS PART OF SECOND RECOVERY ACFT WAS TRIMMED FOR BEST GLIDE AND A TURN WAS INITIATED TO RETURN ACFT TO ARPT APPROX 14 MI S. WHILE IN DSCNT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT COMPLETED PWR LOSS PROCS FROM ACFT CHKLIST. INSTRUCTOR CONTACTED TWR REQUESTING CLRNC TO LAND AND ADVISED ATC OF PARTIAL PWR LOSS. APPROX 4 MI LATER THE INSTRUCTOR CONTACTED TWR ADVISING ATC THAT A FORCED LNDG WAS BEING MADE ABOUT 8 MI N OF THE ARPT. THE INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT EXECUTED A FORCED LNDG IN A PLUS OR MINUS 3500 FT SOYBEAN FIELD (PLANTS 2 INCHES HIGH). LNDG WAS COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY, WITH NO INJURIES TO CREW AND NO DAMAGE TO ACFT. CREW WAS ABLE TO CONTACT TWR ON THE GND TO UPDATE ATC OF THE SIT AND REQUEST ASSISTANCE. DURING PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION, FAA OPS INSPECTOR FOUND THE THROTTLE CABLE ASSEMBLY ATTACHMENT HARDWARE LOOSE, WHICH ALLOWED MOVEMENT OF COMPLETE ASSEMBLY, NOT ONLY THE THROTTLE CABLE. FAA OPS AND AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTORS DISCUSSED A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN THE FAILURE AS A POSSIBLE CASE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE NON COMPLIANCE. THE INSTRUCTOR DID MAKE AN INSPECTION OF THE ACFT LOGBOOKS SEVERAL WKS EARLIER AND DID NOT FIND ANY DISCREPANCIES. CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS MADE TO THE THROTTLE ASSEMBLY ON SITE, WHEREUPON THE ACFT OWNER RETURNED THE ACFT TO ELKHART MUNICIPAL ARPT. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION OF ACFT LOGBOOKS, FAA INSPECTORS FOUND THE ACFT TO BE 4.9 HRS BEYOND THE 100 HR INSPECTION. FLT INSTRUCTOR AND OTHER PLTS DID MONITOR INSPECTION TIMES ON THE ACFT ON AN INSPECTION TRACKING BOARD LOCATED IN THE COMPANY MAINT SHOP. THE 100 HR INSPECTION TIME ON THE TRACKING BOARD WAS INCORRECT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDE THE REPEATED FAILURE, REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT OF THE ACFT AND TACH METERS, RECENT PURCHASE OF THE ACFT WITH THE PRESSURE TO PLACE IT INTO SVC ASAP, INADEQUATE COMPANY INSPECTION TRACKING PROCS. ACFT LOGBOOKS ARE STORED IN A LOCKED/FIREPROOF CABINET AND WERE NOT EASILY AVAILABLE TO PLTS AND MAINT PERSONNEL TO VERIFY POSTED TRACKING BOARD INFO. PRIOR TO THIS FLT, THE INSTRUCTOR MADE 2 1-HR INSTRUCTIONAL FLTS ON JUN/XX/94, AND JUN/YY/94. ON ALL 3 FLTS, THE INSTRUCTOR CHKED THE ACFT INSPECTION TIME TRACKING BOARD PERSONALLY AND FOUND THE AVAILABLE HRS TO BE LESS THAN THE 100 HR INSPECTION TIMES. ADDITIONALLY, THE INSTRUCTOR BELIEVES THE ACFT WAS OPERATED WITH AN INACCURATE WT AND BAL DATA SHEET AS THE ACFT RECENTLY HAD A RADIO REMOVED. AT THE TIME THE INSTRUCTOR BELIEVED THE EQUIP REMOVAL WAS AN INSIGNIFICANT AND TEMPORARY EVENT AND WAS RECORDED APPROPRIATELY IN THE ACFT RECORDS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.