Narrative:

We departed stevensville, mt, (32S) on friday afternoon and climbed up to 11000 ft in VFR conditions. We were unable to pick up our clearance for about 20 mins and circled above 32S. Mso finally cleared us to mso VOR and on to hln. It took us about another 10 mins to reach the VOR, after reporting overhead we intercepted the 096 degree radial (V-20 outbound. At this time we were between cloud layers and the temperature was about 10 degree F. After we were established for about 5 mins mso handed us off to salt lake center. We continued on our flight for about 5-10 mins before having problems. At first it felt like we were encountering some turbulence, but after only a couple of mins the turbulence ended and a shaking continued and got worse quickly. About this time the manifold pressure started dropping rapidly on the lh engine. The right seat pilot immediately took the flight controls while I went through the emergency procedures. All engine controls went forward, mags checked on. Boost pumps turned on, carburetor heat pulled on, fuel checked on, xfeed turned on and I checked the engine instruments. The right seat pilot started a 180 degree right turn back to mso and told slc about our situation. They cleared us back to mso and to change to mso tower frequency. I then contacted mso tower. They cleared us for the VOR-C approach and an altitude that we were unable to hold. After explaining the altitude problem they cleared us direct to the VOR and to report breaking through the clouds. I kept checking and doublechking the procedures and instruments. As before the instruments all looked normal except for the manifold pressure which had dropped off rapidly. At first we thought it was structural failure due to the severe shaking, but since the engine continued to windmill we began to suspect induction icing. We tried every combination of throttle, mixture, and carburetor heat and nothing worked. I then took the controls while the second pilot went through the emergency checklist. He was also unable to get a restart. I then decided to feather the lh engine. While working the throttle controls to confirm the correct engine the engine restarted and ran for about 20 seconds and started to quit again. I discovered that by working the throttle every 10 seconds the engine continued to develop thrust. Since it appeared that we were getting better than zero thrust we decided to leave the engine run. We broke through the clouds about 4 mi east of the airport about lined up with runway 25. We continued on long final with gear up, flaps up and left engine running. When it was apparent we were unable to make the runway we decided on an alf-alpha field immediately to our right. We had the field made so I started shutting the aircraft down. I shut off mags, pumps and pulled throttles and mixtures back. Meanwhile the right seat pilot had started emergency extension of the gear. Since the ground was coming up quickly I tried to make as soft a landing as possible with the nose gear off. We touched down going up a slight hill. The nose ended up collapsing after hitting a gopher mound. The propellers hit and we slid about 150 yds. After shutting off power and grabbing a fire extinguisher we exited the aircraft with no injuries.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA HAS ROUGH ENG, ALTERS COURSE, UNABLE TO REACH ARPT. LANDS THREE FOURTHS MI FROM ARPT.

Narrative: WE DEPARTED STEVENSVILLE, MT, (32S) ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND CLBED UP TO 11000 FT IN VFR CONDITIONS. WE WERE UNABLE TO PICK UP OUR CLRNC FOR ABOUT 20 MINS AND CIRCLED ABOVE 32S. MSO FINALLY CLRED US TO MSO VOR AND ON TO HLN. IT TOOK US ABOUT ANOTHER 10 MINS TO REACH THE VOR, AFTER RPTING OVERHEAD WE INTERCEPTED THE 096 DEG RADIAL (V-20 OUTBOUND. AT THIS TIME WE WERE BTWN CLOUD LAYERS AND THE TEMP WAS ABOUT 10 DEG F. AFTER WE WERE ESTABLISHED FOR ABOUT 5 MINS MSO HANDED US OFF TO SALT LAKE CTR. WE CONTINUED ON OUR FLT FOR ABOUT 5-10 MINS BEFORE HAVING PROBLEMS. AT FIRST IT FELT LIKE WE WERE ENCOUNTERING SOME TURB, BUT AFTER ONLY A COUPLE OF MINS THE TURB ENDED AND A SHAKING CONTINUED AND GOT WORSE QUICKLY. ABOUT THIS TIME THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE STARTED DROPPING RAPIDLY ON THE LH ENG. THE R SEAT PLT IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE FLT CTLS WHILE I WENT THROUGH THE EMER PROCS. ALL ENG CTLS WENT FORWARD, MAGS CHKED ON. BOOST PUMPS TURNED ON, CARB HEAT PULLED ON, FUEL CHKED ON, XFEED TURNED ON AND I CHKED THE ENG INSTS. THE R SEAT PLT STARTED A 180 DEG R TURN BACK TO MSO AND TOLD SLC ABOUT OUR SITUATION. THEY CLRED US BACK TO MSO AND TO CHANGE TO MSO TWR FREQ. I THEN CONTACTED MSO TWR. THEY CLRED US FOR THE VOR-C APCH AND AN ALT THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO HOLD. AFTER EXPLAINING THE ALT PROBLEM THEY CLRED US DIRECT TO THE VOR AND TO RPT BREAKING THROUGH THE CLOUDS. I KEPT CHKING AND DOUBLECHKING THE PROCS AND INSTS. AS BEFORE THE INSTS ALL LOOKED NORMAL EXCEPT FOR THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE WHICH HAD DROPPED OFF RAPIDLY. AT FIRST WE THOUGHT IT WAS STRUCTURAL FAILURE DUE TO THE SEVERE SHAKING, BUT SINCE THE ENG CONTINUED TO WINDMILL WE BEGAN TO SUSPECT INDUCTION ICING. WE TRIED EVERY COMBINATION OF THROTTLE, MIXTURE, AND CARB HEAT AND NOTHING WORKED. I THEN TOOK THE CTLS WHILE THE SECOND PLT WENT THROUGH THE EMER CHKLIST. HE WAS ALSO UNABLE TO GET A RESTART. I THEN DECIDED TO FEATHER THE LH ENG. WHILE WORKING THE THROTTLE CTLS TO CONFIRM THE CORRECT ENG THE ENG RESTARTED AND RAN FOR ABOUT 20 SECONDS AND STARTED TO QUIT AGAIN. I DISCOVERED THAT BY WORKING THE THROTTLE EVERY 10 SECONDS THE ENG CONTINUED TO DEVELOP THRUST. SINCE IT APPEARED THAT WE WERE GETTING BETTER THAN ZERO THRUST WE DECIDED TO LEAVE THE ENG RUN. WE BROKE THROUGH THE CLOUDS ABOUT 4 MI E OF THE ARPT ABOUT LINED UP WITH RWY 25. WE CONTINUED ON LONG FINAL WITH GEAR UP, FLAPS UP AND L ENG RUNNING. WHEN IT WAS APPARENT WE WERE UNABLE TO MAKE THE RWY WE DECIDED ON AN ALF-ALPHA FIELD IMMEDIATELY TO OUR R. WE HAD THE FIELD MADE SO I STARTED SHUTTING THE ACFT DOWN. I SHUT OFF MAGS, PUMPS AND PULLED THROTTLES AND MIXTURES BACK. MEANWHILE THE R SEAT PLT HAD STARTED EMER EXTENSION OF THE GEAR. SINCE THE GND WAS COMING UP QUICKLY I TRIED TO MAKE AS SOFT A LNDG AS POSSIBLE WITH THE NOSE GEAR OFF. WE TOUCHED DOWN GOING UP A SLIGHT HILL. THE NOSE ENDED UP COLLAPSING AFTER HITTING A GOPHER MOUND. THE PROPS HIT AND WE SLID ABOUT 150 YDS. AFTER SHUTTING OFF PWR AND GRABBING A FIRE EXTINGUISHER WE EXITED THE ACFT WITH NO INJURIES.

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.