N73PB

On August 08, 2008, a Schweizer G-164A (N73PB) was involved in an incident near Jefferson, IA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The loss of engine power for an undetermined reason and the unsuitable terrain encountered during the forced landing. The corn crop was a factor.

The pilot reported that the airplane's engine lost power and began shaking violently as the airplane was approximately mid-field downwind for landing. He stated that he had insufficient altitude to execute a power-off landing to the runway and elected to land the airplane in a farm field. He said that he flared the airplane and as the airplane settled into the corn, he applied full aft elevator but the airplane pitched nose down and flipped onto its back. He stated that he had performed a pre-flight engine run-up before the accident. He made no mention of any discrepancies noted during the run-up, takeoff, or initial climb out.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CHI08CA242. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N73PB.