CHI01LA029

The airplane lost engine power during a climb from traffic pattern altitude and the pilot executed a forced landing into a cornfield. The pilot stated, "Because of the low altitude at which the engine ceased operating, I was unable to consider any attempt to make the airport and immediately selected the best available field. The only field long enough contained standing corn about 7' in height. The aircraft was damaged while landing in the corn." The pilot reported, "I discovered subsequently that a fuel-drain petcock had been installed that was of a different type than that which had been in the aircraft previously. It was not appropriate for the location in the aircraft because the petcock position in the Vari-Eze is well up under the cowling and is difficult to observe visually. Draining the fuel sump must be done primarily by feel. The petcock had stuck partially open. I believe the that the header tank was drained through the partially open petcock during the first few minutes of flight."

On October 22, 2000, at 0820 central daylight time (cdt), an experimental-amateur built Fowler Varieze, N82JF, sustained substantial damage when it nosed-over during a forced landing following a loss of engine power while in cruise climb. Visual metrological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and was not on a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant, reported minor injuries. The flight departed the Iowa City Municipal Airport, Iowa City, Iowa, at 0817, for the local test flight.

According to the pilot's written statement, the purpose of the flight was to evaluate engine cooling performance subsequent to the engine being overhauled and a modification to the engine exhaust system.

The pilot reported, "I climbed to pattern altitude, 800' AGL [above ground level] and leveled off to observe the engine temperature. I observed engine temperatures in the normal range, very efficient cooling, so I turned away from the airport. I retracted the nosewheel and advanced throttle to climb above pattern altitude. At this point the engine faltered and stopped. There was no windmilling of the propeller, because the propeller is a short-bladed pusher type mounted in the aft section of the fuselage."

The pilot stated, "Because of the low altitude at which the engine ceased operating, I was unable to consider any attempt to make the airport [Iowa City Municipal Airport] and immediately selected the best available field. The only field long enough contained standing corn about 7' in height. The aircraft was damaged while landing in the corn."

The pilot stated, "After the engine stopped there was not sufficient time to diagnose the problem, switch tanks and re-start the engine. I felt it was best to give priority to controlling the aircraft, selecting the best field available and preparing and performing the best possible forced landing under the circumstances."

The pilot reported, "I discovered subsequently that a fuel-drain petcock had been installed that was of a different type than that which had been in the aircraft previously. It was not appropriate for the location in the aircraft because the petcock position in the Vari-Eze is well up under the cowling and is difficult to observe visually. Draining the fuel sump must be done primarily by feel. The petcock had stuck partially open. I believe the that the header tank was drained through the partially open petcock during the first few minutes of flight."