N3413R

On September 2, 1994, at 1800 central daylight time, a Cessna 182L, N3413R, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Ardmore, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross country flight.

The pilot/operator report revealed the following information. The airplane was VFR-on-top for approximately 10 minutes when the engine started to produce a "severe vibration" and partial power was lost. The pilot declared an emergency and was provided weather conditions and a heading to the Industrial Air Park (ADM), Ardmore, Texas, by Flight Service. The pilot then contacted Fort Worth Center and made an IFR descent through the clouds. Once the airplane was clear of the clouds, it was unable to maintain altitude. During the continued descent the airplane struck electrical wires and made a "crash landing" into a small mowed pasture. "The airplane rolled approximately 300 feet before entering a vast depression, passed through a persimmon thicket, coming to rest inverted."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who examined the airplane at the accident site reported he found the left wing spar and left horizontal stabilizer damaged. According to the pilot/operator report, a cylinder head had separated from the barrel.