Narrative:

Full power takeoff was normal. However, at around 300', we became aware of a burning oil smell and an amount of white smoke on the starboard side (same side as the exhaust). At an approximately altitude of 550', we both felt an obvious vibration, not unlike a fouled plug. At full power, a fouled plug vibration would not be normal. To my mind, it was enough vibration to turn back, land and check it out. I lowered the nose of the aircraft, throttled back to about half throttle and started a 180 degree turn to the left. Just as I was squeezing the microphone button on the control stick to ask the tower for permission to land, I heard a loud bang or explosion and felt the plane shudder violently. My eyes followed the cart-wheeling propeller up and high over my port wing. I believe I heard the engine running. (We were both wearing headsets.) I closed the fuel mixture and throttle, switched off the mags, closed the fuel cock control, and trimmed the aircraft for glide with an indicated airspeed of 75 mph. I informed chico tower that I had an emergency and that I had lost my propeller. They responded by clearing me to land, any runway. By this time we were on base to final approach at about 250' and less than a mi from runway 13L. There was a dry creek between us and the runway. We were too low to make the airport. There was an open field before the dry creek, but it had irrigation checks running east and west, crosswind to runway. Although there was one row of power lines to clear, there was plenty of room between the ILS equipment to allow a landing. Upon landing, I found that the field was covered with large rocks and boulders. The full-stall touchdown was uneventful until the tail-wheel tire collapsed or the tail-wheel assembly shattered, pinching the tail-wheel, causing it to lock. The plane slid to a stop, making almost a quarter turn to the right and leaving a skid mark approximately 20' long.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SHORTLY AFTER TKOF ACFT LOST PROPELLER. OFF ARPT LNDG. NO INJURIES.

Narrative: FULL POWER TKOF WAS NORMAL. HOWEVER, AT AROUND 300', WE BECAME AWARE OF A BURNING OIL SMELL AND AN AMOUNT OF WHITE SMOKE ON THE STARBOARD SIDE (SAME SIDE AS THE EXHAUST). AT AN APPROX ALT OF 550', WE BOTH FELT AN OBVIOUS VIBRATION, NOT UNLIKE A FOULED PLUG. AT FULL POWER, A FOULED PLUG VIBRATION WOULD NOT BE NORMAL. TO MY MIND, IT WAS ENOUGH VIBRATION TO TURN BACK, LAND AND CHECK IT OUT. I LOWERED THE NOSE OF THE ACFT, THROTTLED BACK TO ABOUT HALF THROTTLE AND STARTED A 180 DEG TURN TO THE LEFT. JUST AS I WAS SQUEEZING THE MIKE BUTTON ON THE CONTROL STICK TO ASK THE TWR FOR PERMISSION TO LAND, I HEARD A LOUD BANG OR EXPLOSION AND FELT THE PLANE SHUDDER VIOLENTLY. MY EYES FOLLOWED THE CART-WHEELING PROP UP AND HIGH OVER MY PORT WING. I BELIEVE I HEARD THE ENGINE RUNNING. (WE WERE BOTH WEARING HEADSETS.) I CLOSED THE FUEL MIXTURE AND THROTTLE, SWITCHED OFF THE MAGS, CLOSED THE FUEL COCK CONTROL, AND TRIMMED THE ACFT FOR GLIDE WITH AN INDICATED AIRSPEED OF 75 MPH. I INFORMED CHICO TWR THAT I HAD AN EMER AND THAT I HAD LOST MY PROP. THEY RESPONDED BY CLEARING ME TO LAND, ANY RWY. BY THIS TIME WE WERE ON BASE TO FINAL APCH AT ABOUT 250' AND LESS THAN A MI FROM RWY 13L. THERE WAS A DRY CREEK BETWEEN US AND THE RWY. WE WERE TOO LOW TO MAKE THE ARPT. THERE WAS AN OPEN FIELD BEFORE THE DRY CREEK, BUT IT HAD IRRIGATION CHECKS RUNNING E AND W, XWIND TO RWY. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS ONE ROW OF POWER LINES TO CLEAR, THERE WAS PLENTY OF ROOM BETWEEN THE ILS EQUIPMENT TO ALLOW A LNDG. UPON LNDG, I FOUND THAT THE FIELD WAS COVERED WITH LARGE ROCKS AND BOULDERS. THE FULL-STALL TOUCHDOWN WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL THE TAIL-WHEEL TIRE COLLAPSED OR THE TAIL-WHEEL ASSEMBLY SHATTERED, PINCHING THE TAIL-WHEEL, CAUSING IT TO LOCK. THE PLANE SLID TO A STOP, MAKING ALMOST A QUARTER TURN TO THE RIGHT AND LEAVING A SKID MARK APPROX 20' LONG.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.