Event Summary
On 19 July 2014 at approximately 09:32 UTC, a Cessna 182N sustained substantial damage during a forced landing in a cornfield near Irschen, Austria, about 3 km east of Oberdrauburg. The pilot and three occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was a Cessna 182N, a four-seat, high-wing, strut-braced monoplane with a tricycle landing gear, manufactured by Cessna in Wichita, Kansas. It was powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors O-470-R six-cylinder air-cooled engine driving a McCauley two-blade controllable-pitch propeller. The aircraft had a total of 1,899 hours and 2,033 starts. The last airworthiness inspection was on 28 April 2014 at 1,893 hours and 2,022 starts. Fuel total capacity was 303 liters (19 liters unusable); about 120 liters of Mogas were drained after the accident. The last refueling was on 8 June 2014 with 141 liters.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a valid Part FCL PPL(A) license with SEP (land) type rating, instrument rating, and flight instructor rating. Total flight experience was approximately 8,583 hours with 1,653 starts, including 105 hours on type in the previous three years. In the 90 days before the accident, the pilot flew about 2 hours with 3 starts. On the accident day, the pilot had flown 1 hour 24 minutes with 2 starts, preceded by a rest period of more than 24 hours.
Accident Sequence
The pilot took over the aircraft at Lienz-Nikolsdorf airport around 07:15 UTC, after it had been ferried from Klagenfurt earlier that day. Two local flights were completed without incident. Before the third flight, a preflight check showed oil quantity of 11 quarts and fuel of about 120 liters. An engine run-up on runway 12 revealed no anomalies. Takeoff was performed with flaps set to 10°. The aircraft became airborne after two-thirds of the runway and climbed past Nikolsdorf. At 2,700 ft MSL, power was reduced to climb power; at 2,100 ft, flaps were retracted. RPM was set to 2,500 with mixture full rich. The climb continued at 105 mph with a climb rate of 800–900 ft/min. At 4,500 ft MSL, the mixture was slightly leaned. Cowl flaps were open and fuel selector on both tanks. Shortly after, the engine RPM dropped then briefly recovered, and the engine continued running with reduced power. The pilot moved propeller control, throttle, and mixture to maximum. Carburetor heat was kept off. The pilot turned back toward Lienz-Nikolsdorf and observed high cylinder head temperatures. Realizing the airport was unreachable, the pilot notified the airport by radio. The aircraft was turned east into wind. A hard landing occurred on a meadow adjacent to a cornfield; the aircraft came to rest in the cornfield.
Injuries and Damage
The pilot suffered serious injuries; the three passengers sustained minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. Minor crop damage occurred.
Investigation
The investigation was conducted by the Austrian Safety Investigation Board (Sicherheitsuntersuchungsstelle des Bundes). No probable cause was assigned in the available report excerpt.