Emergency Landing of a Cessna C140 Near Filsdorf, Luxembourg (LX-DIS)

Incident Overview and Flight History On the afternoon of 9 December 2013, a Cessna C140, registration LX-DIS, departed Luxembourg International Airport (ELLX) for a cross-country flight within Luxembourg airspace. The aircraft was cleared for takeoff at 14:57:59 local time and proceeded south toward the VFR reporting point “Tango.” While approaching the southern boundary of the Luxembourg Control Zone, the pilot-in-command observed a drop in oil pressure and a rise in oil temperature. The oil pressure gauge initially indicated 30 PSI, then fell to 25 PSI and continued decreasing. The engine RPM also began to drop. The pilot activated carburetor heat, suspecting icing, which caused the RPM to fall by approximately 200 units to 1,700 RPM. Despite leaving the heat on for about 20 seconds, the RPM continued to decline and oil pressure kept falling. With oil pressure at approximately 20 PSI and the engine running below 1,700 RPM, the pilot declared an emergency at 15:04:54 and selected a crop field near the village of Filsdorf, about 5.5 nautical miles south of ELLX. ## Emergency Landing and Damage The pilot retarded the throttle to idle and executed an uneventful landing in the wet, muddy field. During rollout, the pilot applied brakes to stop before reaching a shallow road cut ahead. At an estimated speed of 5 knots, the aircraft nosed over and came to rest inverted. Both occupants, the pilot and a passenger, left the aircraft uninjured. The aircraft sustained damage to the propeller, vertical stabilizer, and left wing and strut. No other damage was reported. ## Aircraft and Personnel Details The Cessna C140 is a single-engine, two-seat, tailwheel light general aviation aircraft manufactured in 1963. It was powered by a Continental C85-12F engine. The aircraft had a valid certificate of airworthiness and an airworthiness review certificate. The pilot-in-command was 53 years old, held a valid flight crew license with a single-engine piston (aeroplane) class rating, and a valid class 2 medical certificate. On the day of the occurrence, the pilot had a total flight time of 1,689 hours. The aircraft had accumulated 2,519 hours as of 4 September 2013 and was operated beyond its Time Between Overhaul (TBO) calendar limitation on a 10-hour extension approved by the Directorate of Civil Aviation. The engine used AVGAS 100LL fuel. ## Meteorological and Operational Context The aerodrome forecast for ELLX indicated generally favorable conditions, with temporary periods of mist and fog expected. The runway in use at ELLX was RWY 24. The flight was conducted under visual flight rules. The pilot had filed a local flight plan with the Luxembourg Aeronautical Information Service. The two co-owners of the aircraft met at the airport and decided to fly together. The engine inspection findings and maintenance chronology were part of the investigation, but the report does not specify a probable cause.