July 02, Linden, N.J. / Cessna 172

At 1215 eastern time, a Cessna 172 suffered a loss of engine power on initial climb from Linden Airport and was damaged in the ensuing forced landing. The pilot, who suffered minor injuries, was the maintenance officer for the flying club that operated the airplane. He said the carburetor had been replaced on the airplane the week prior to the accident and the airplane had experienced several abnormal events since its installation. The purpose of the accident flight was to fly to Princeton to have the carburetor re-examined. The pilot said the engine began to run rough at about 300 feet agl, then lost power after about 10 seconds. During the forced landing the airplane struck a gas pipeline. Initial examination showed the mixture control wire was not secured to the mixture control arm pivot bolt.