Accident Details
After an off-airport landing, a glider pilot called for assistance. A certificated flight instructor (CFI) drove to the site to assess towing the glider from the field. The CFI estimated the field to be 1,000 feet long and oriented northwest/southeast. The northwest edge of the field terminated at the edge of a field of 4-foot-high corn.
Sequence of Events
After arriving in a Cessna 182, the tow and glider pilots agreed that the field length was satisfactory. With one notch of flaps set, a quarter tank of fuel in both wing tanks, and utilizing a shorter tow rope, the tow airplane accelerated with the engine producing full power. The glider became airborne halfway across the field but released when the glider pilot saw the tow airplane approaching the corn field. After the glider released, the tow airplane pitched nose-up, and the tow pilot last remembered pushing forward on the yoke.
Post-Accident Findings
The airplane came to rest in a vertical, nose-down attitude against small trees at the bottom of a ravine. Corn stalks, about 4 feet high, contained a cut area the width of the airplane's elevator. Pieces of corn stalks were found lodged between the airplane's stabilator and elevator. No mechanical malfunctions were found in the airframe or engine.