What happened
Approximately 10 miles from the destination airport, the pilot encountered severe turbulence and wind gusts ranging from 40 to 50 knots. The pilot reported that these conditions made the aircraft difficult to control. Because the weather conditions near the destination had not been forecast when the pilot checked the weather 2.5 hours prior to the accident, the pilot decided to land the aircraft immediately to avoid a total loss of control.
The pilot attempted an emergency landing in an oat field. At the time of impact with the field, the aircraft was traveling at approximately 30 mph over the ground. After impacting the field, the aircraft traveled about 10 feet before the nose pitched upward, resulting in substantial damage to the aircraft. The pilot was not injured.