What happened
The pilot was operating a local flight with the primary objective of checking an aircraft that had been parked for several months. During the course of the flight, the engine suddenly lost all power without prior warning. The pilot attempted to restart the engine twice; however, after each successful restart, the engine once again lost power. Consequently, the pilot executed a forced landing in a nearby corn field. Upon impact, the aircraft nosed over and sustained damage.
The investigation
Following the accident, mechanics inspected the engine to determine the cause of the repeated power failures. The inspection revealed that the engine ran successfully on the ground with no mechanical anomalies detected in the powerplant or fuel system. This suggests the issue may have been transient or related to in-flight conditions not captured during the post-accident ground test.
Findings
The sequence of events indicates a sudden loss of engine power during flight that could not be sustained through restart attempts. The subsequent forced landing resulted in structural damage due to the nose-over impact. The post-accident inspection confirmed the absence of mechanical defects in the engine or fuel system at the time of testing.
Safety message
Pilots should be aware that intermittent engine failures can occur without obvious mechanical faults during ground inspections. Proper pre-flight checks and monitoring of engine parameters are essential to identify potential issues before they lead to in-flight emergencies.