What happened
On August 17, 2002, at approximately 09:00 UTC, a Diamond DA20-A1 was conducting a flight from Krems (LOAG) toward Upper Austria, with a planned return to Krems. The aircraft was occupied by a pilot and a student pilot.
While flying in the vicinity of Ottenschlag, Lower Austria, the engine suddenly failed. The pilot noted that the engine oil pressure gauge dropped toward zero between the towns of Bärnkopf and Gutenbrunn. In response to this indication, the crew attempted to divert to the nearest airfield at Ottenschlag. During this phase, the aircraft experienced vibrations, and the propeller came to an abrupt stop.
The pilot performed an emergency landing in a field southwest of Ottenschlag. As the aircraft came to a halt at the edge of a gravel road, the nose gear collapsed due to contact with the elevated roadside. There were no injuries to the two occupants, though the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was a sudden engine failure.
- The loss of engine power was preceded by a drop in oil pressure to near-zero levels.
- The engine failure was accompanied by significant vibrations and the subsequent stoppage of the propeller.