CHI00LA052

The pilot said, 'As I passed through 6,000 feet, I experienced severe engine knock and a gradual loss of power.' The pilot adjusted the mixture. 'However, adjusting the mixture either way resulted in additional loss of power and did not solve the engine knock. I set the mixture to the best setting I could find.' The pilot declared an emergency with Des Moines Departure Control. The pilot said, 'Des Moines recommended that I proceed to the Indianola Airport, so I turned on heading and attempted to maintain a glide speed of 85 miles per hour. Despite clock headings given to me by Des Moines, I still did not have Indianola Airport in sight. The only field I thought I could make was slightly ahead of me, and it had trees on the touch down end of the field.' The pilot said he turned toward the field, lowered the landing gear, and lowered 'some flaps.' The pilot said, 'As I turned on course for the field, I realized my rate of descent was too high and that I did not have enough airspeed to pull up over the trees while banking. At that point, I struck the tree.' The airplane's engine was later successfully run at Teledyne Continental Motors.

On December 28, 1999, at 1116 central standard time (cst), a Cessna T210F, N6144R, operated by a private pilot, was destroyed during a forced landing to a field, located 3 miles south of Indianola, Iowa. The airplane struck a tree and subsequently impacted the terrain. The pilot reported that prior to the attempted forced landing, the airplane's engine began to run rough and lose power. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. There was no flight plan on file. The pilot sustained serious injuries in the accident. The cross country flight had originated at Des Moines, Iowa, at 1103 cst, and was en route to La Porte, Texas.

In his written statement, the pilot said, "As I passed through 6,000 feet, I experienced severe engine knock and a gradual loss of power." The pilot said he adjusted the mixture. "However, adjusting the mixture either way resulted in additional loss of power and did not solve the engine knock. I set the mixture to the best setting I could find."

At 1112 cst, the pilot declared an emergency with the Des Moines Departure Control. The pilot said, "Des Moines recommended that I proceed to the Indianola Airport, so I turned on heading and attempted to maintain a glide speed of 85 miles per hour. Despite clock headings given to me by Des Moines, I still did not have Indianola Airport in sight. The only field I thought I could make was slightly ahead of me, and it had trees on the touch down end of the field." The pilot said he turned toward the field, lowered the landing gear, and lowered "some flaps." The pilot said, "As I turned on course for the field, I realized my rate of descent was too high and that I did not have enough airspeed to pull up over the trees while banking. At that point, I struck the tree."

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors examined the airplane at the accident site. The airplane rested approximately 156 feet from a stand of trees. The tallest tree in the stand was missing several top branches. The airplane's cowling, engine, engine mounts, and firewall were crushed aft. The instrument panel was broken and several of the engine and flight instruments were free of their mounts. The rudder pedals were pushed inward. The airplane's cabin and fuselage was twisted and showed heavy buckling. The airplane's right wing was broken aft and separated, 6 feet outboard of the wing root, and was found near the base of the damaged tree. The airplane's left wing was broken aft at the wing root and remained attached to the fuselage by the aileron cables. The left horizontal stabilizer was bent upward and broken. The left elevator was broken off. The outboard right horizontal stabilizer and elevator were bent and broken downward and aft. The three propeller blades showed chordwise scratches. One blade was bent aft 70 degrees near the hub. The other two blades were bent aft near the tips. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The airplane's engine was retained for further investigation. Examination of the other airplane systems revealed no anomalies.

The airplane's engine was examined at Teledyne Continental Motors on February 9, 2000. The engine was run successfully. Following the engine run, the fuel metering screen at the fuel control was removed. Examination of the screen showed small metal particles of unknown origin covering most of the inside screen surface area.