Cessna 182L Crash at Unterschüpf Airfield

Incident Overview and Flight Details On August 30, 2014, a Cessna Aircraft Company Cessna 182L, modified for skydiving operations, departed from Unterschüpf airfield (EDGU) at 20:10 local time. The aircraft was carrying five people for a planned tandem skydiving drop. The pilot reported that the aircraft pitched up during takeoff despite his input on the controls. Witnesses observed the plane drifting approximately 15 degrees to the left after liftoff without gaining altitude. Two skydivers on board described oscillations around the longitudinal and lateral axes. After roughly 20 seconds of flight, the aircraft struck a cornfield and impacted the ground. All five occupants remained uninjured, while the aircraft sustained heavy damage and minor crop damage occurred. ## Aircraft and Pilot Information The Cessna 182L, a braced high-wing monoplane with a metal airframe, was manufactured in 1968 with serial number 58691. It was powered by an O-470-R engine and had a total operating time of 4,493 hours. The aircraft was registered in Germany and operated by a private owner. It had been modified for skydiving, though the specific documentation for these modifications was not available to the investigation authority. The pilot was a 46-year-old holder of an EU Private Pilot License (PPL) with a single-engine piston land class rating. He had a total of 35 flight hours, including approximately 13 hours on the Cessna 182L. ## Meteorological and Operational Conditions At the time of the incident, visibility was over 10 kilometers, with winds from 330 degrees at approximately 3 knots. The temperature was around 15 degrees Celsius, and the QNH was 1,017 hPa. The airfield features a 670-meter by 30-meter grass runway with a 13-meter elevation difference, rising toward the west. The runway was mowed and dry. The aircraft was not equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder, as neither was required by applicable regulations. ## Investigation Findings and Probable Cause The investigation determined that the aircraft's takeoff mass was approximately 110 kilograms over the maximum allowable limit of 1,270 kilograms, with a total mass of 1,380 kilograms. Due to the lack of seatbelts for the skydivers and their positioning in the cockpit, a precise center of gravity calculation could not be performed, though a rearward center of gravity was assumed. The pilot was assessed to have lifted off too early and at too high an angle of attack. Consequently, the aircraft failed to build sufficient speed to transition into a climb, remaining in a stall in ground effect and drifting uncontrollably to the left until it collided with the terrain approximately 330 meters southwest of the airfield. No technical defects in the engine or controls were found.