Narrative:

After having reached assigned altitude of 2500' and new heading for a visibility approach to runway 9 at evv, a loud explosion occurred. The aircraft began to shake violently and smoke entered the cabin. First reaction was to cut power, feather propeller and pull the mixture valve off. Then a glide was established at 90 mph indicated. A mayday call was made to evv that we lost engine and were going down. A search for a suitable landing site resulted in an unplowed cornfield, seemingly free from telephone poles and fencing, being selected. An approach was begun and a second call to evv was made to inform them that we were, in fact, going down. Approach called back for an exact position report, but was not answered. Approximately 500' above the ground the wheels were lowered and at approximately 100' full flaps were applied. As the propeller failed to feather, the windmilling caused a greater than anticipated sink rate and first ground contact occurred approximately 200' short of the intended point. However, firm back pressure allowed the aircraft to become airborne over an intersecting road and 2 ditches before final ground contact was made. The field was extremely soft and when the nose wheel made ground contact, it buried in the mud and soft dirt and dug in for approximately 20' when the aircraft raised on the nose wheel and left wheel causing the left wing to bump the ground. Then the aircraft settled back on its landing gear. The distance covered from the second T/D to full stop was measured by authorities at 365'. First T/D distance, 134'. As soon as the aircraft was secured, a call to the tower was attempted west/O success, then a broadcast was made on 121.5 and a response was received. A request was made for the person to call evv tower with a report that the aircraft was safely on the ground and that there were no injuries. A ride to a phone was secured and calls were made to FSS and evv control tower. The cause of the engine failure was that the #3 cylinder broke away from block and exited through cowling. Damage to aircraft, left wing tip slight dent, one blade of propeller bent at tip and cowling damage from jug exiting. My thought prior to first ground contact was, 'why doesn't evv knew where we are?' all persons contacted and those officials on the scene were extremely polite and helpful, creating a sense of calm in an otherwise difficult situation. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter contacted for counseling re: propeller operating characteristics and probable controller purpose for asking aircraft position. Reporter stated that investigation indicated that the cylinder detached at the junction of the cylinder and the engine block due to failure of the attachment bolts. The bolts most likely failed due to metal fatigue, according to investigators, and was not an expected type of failure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO MECHANICAL REASONS LEADS TO FORCES LNDG FOR SMA.

Narrative: AFTER HAVING REACHED ASSIGNED ALT OF 2500' AND NEW HDG FOR A VIS APCH TO RWY 9 AT EVV, A LOUD EXPLOSION OCCURRED. THE ACFT BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND SMOKE ENTERED THE CABIN. FIRST REACTION WAS TO CUT PWR, FEATHER PROP AND PULL THE MIXTURE VALVE OFF. THEN A GLIDE WAS ESTABLISHED AT 90 MPH INDICATED. A MAYDAY CALL WAS MADE TO EVV THAT WE LOST ENG AND WERE GOING DOWN. A SEARCH FOR A SUITABLE LNDG SITE RESULTED IN AN UNPLOWED CORNFIELD, SEEMINGLY FREE FROM TELEPHONE POLES AND FENCING, BEING SELECTED. AN APCH WAS BEGUN AND A SECOND CALL TO EVV WAS MADE TO INFORM THEM THAT WE WERE, IN FACT, GOING DOWN. APCH CALLED BACK FOR AN EXACT POS RPT, BUT WAS NOT ANSWERED. APPROX 500' ABOVE THE GND THE WHEELS WERE LOWERED AND AT APPROX 100' FULL FLAPS WERE APPLIED. AS THE PROP FAILED TO FEATHER, THE WINDMILLING CAUSED A GREATER THAN ANTICIPATED SINK RATE AND FIRST GND CONTACT OCCURRED APPROX 200' SHORT OF THE INTENDED POINT. HOWEVER, FIRM BACK PRESSURE ALLOWED THE ACFT TO BECOME AIRBORNE OVER AN INTERSECTING ROAD AND 2 DITCHES BEFORE FINAL GND CONTACT WAS MADE. THE FIELD WAS EXTREMELY SOFT AND WHEN THE NOSE WHEEL MADE GND CONTACT, IT BURIED IN THE MUD AND SOFT DIRT AND DUG IN FOR APPROX 20' WHEN THE ACFT RAISED ON THE NOSE WHEEL AND LEFT WHEEL CAUSING THE LEFT WING TO BUMP THE GND. THEN THE ACFT SETTLED BACK ON ITS LNDG GEAR. THE DISTANCE COVERED FROM THE SECOND T/D TO FULL STOP WAS MEASURED BY AUTHORITIES AT 365'. FIRST T/D DISTANCE, 134'. AS SOON AS THE ACFT WAS SECURED, A CALL TO THE TWR WAS ATTEMPTED W/O SUCCESS, THEN A BROADCAST WAS MADE ON 121.5 AND A RESPONSE WAS RECEIVED. A REQUEST WAS MADE FOR THE PERSON TO CALL EVV TWR WITH A RPT THAT THE ACFT WAS SAFELY ON THE GND AND THAT THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A RIDE TO A PHONE WAS SECURED AND CALLS WERE MADE TO FSS AND EVV CTL TWR. THE CAUSE OF THE ENG FAILURE WAS THAT THE #3 CYLINDER BROKE AWAY FROM BLOCK AND EXITED THROUGH COWLING. DAMAGE TO ACFT, LEFT WING TIP SLIGHT DENT, ONE BLADE OF PROP BENT AT TIP AND COWLING DAMAGE FROM JUG EXITING. MY THOUGHT PRIOR TO FIRST GND CONTACT WAS, 'WHY DOESN'T EVV KNEW WHERE WE ARE?' ALL PERSONS CONTACTED AND THOSE OFFICIALS ON THE SCENE WERE EXTREMELY POLITE AND HELPFUL, CREATING A SENSE OF CALM IN AN OTHERWISE DIFFICULT SITUATION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR CONTACTED FOR COUNSELING RE: PROP OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS AND PROBABLE CTLR PURPOSE FOR ASKING ACFT POS. RPTR STATED THAT INVESTIGATION INDICATED THAT THE CYLINDER DETACHED AT THE JUNCTION OF THE CYLINDER AND THE ENG BLOCK DUE TO FAILURE OF THE ATTACHMENT BOLTS. THE BOLTS MOST LIKELY FAILED DUE TO METAL FATIGUE, ACCORDING TO INVESTIGATORS, AND WAS NOT AN EXPECTED TYPE OF FAILURE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.