Narrative:

The aircraft was in a cruise climb confign approaching 6000 ft on a clearance to 10000 ft. ATC had vectored our flight to a heading of 270 degrees. We were approximately 8 NM southwest of the mvy VOR over the atlantic ocean about 10 mins into our flight after departing nantucket memorial airport at approximately XA00 noon. During the climb I noted all indications were normal except for the needle of the vacuum gauge which was flickering rapidly at the top of the green. I made a note of this in the aircraft squawk book and continued to monitor the other gauges while flying the airplane and speaking to cape departure. Passing through 6000 ft I noted the vacuum gauge needle was now flickering just above the green arc. The engine then made a grinding noise for about 3 seconds and the propeller came to an abrupt stop. I immediately decreased airspeed 35 KTS to 85 KTS IAS, turned toward martha's vineyard airport, closed the cowl flaps, and alerted cape departure of the engine failure and my course deviation. I then passed to my wife the emergency procedures laminated cards to read aloud to me while I turned the fuel valve and mixture control to off, maintained airspeed, and alerted ATC that I was shutting down the transponder (and other non-essential electrical equipment). Dividing my time between keeping the martha's vineyard airport in sight and monitoring the airspeed I instructed my wife to insure her seat belt and should er harness were tight. ATC handed me off to martha's vineyard tower. I had not expected a frequency change and missed the new frequency. I called cape departure, asked for the frequency, and put it into the 1 radio I was using. I informed the tower I was with them on an emergency approach. I was cleared to land 'any runway.' the active was 24. My altitude, airspeed, and progress to the airport were good and I elected to fly an abbreviated downwind and base to 24. I lowered the gear on final to help lose altitude and alerted the tower that the gear down indicator light may not have been on. (I did not want to fixate on the light while flying the airplane.) I maintained 85 KTS until short final when I started to lower the flaps to enable me to slow the airplane and land in a normal landing attitude. The gear held. The aircraft rolled to a stop after a smooth, normal, uneventful, landing. 12 mins had passed form the time the engine shuddered to a grinding halt and we rolled to a stop on runway 24 of martha's vineyard airport. A cursory inspection of the aircraft on the runway showed no signs of oil on the cowl. The oil level was okay and did not appear to be burned. The propeller was frozen in position able to move less than an inch in either direction. I believe the successful outcome of this flight can be attributed to the fact that I remained focused on the task at hand, flying the airplane, and used all of the resources available to me, including my wife who read the emergency procedures. I always perform a preflight inspection prior to flight, so I was not plagued with doubt about oil and fuel levels or something obviously loose in the engine compartment. I am also sensitive to the effects of eating and sleep on my physiology and never leave the ground hungry or without being well rested. These factors, I believe enabled me to remain focused on successfully landing and being at my best. I also believe that I was very lucky to have been presented a situation which was equal to my level of skill.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMER FORCED LNDG PERFORMED AFTER DIVERSION TO ALT ARPT. ENG FAILURE.

Narrative: THE ACFT WAS IN A CRUISE CLB CONFIGN APCHING 6000 FT ON A CLRNC TO 10000 FT. ATC HAD VECTORED OUR FLT TO A HDG OF 270 DEGS. WE WERE APPROX 8 NM SW OF THE MVY VOR OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ABOUT 10 MINS INTO OUR FLT AFTER DEPARTING NANTUCKET MEMORIAL ARPT AT APPROX XA00 NOON. DURING THE CLB I NOTED ALL INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL EXCEPT FOR THE NEEDLE OF THE VACUUM GAUGE WHICH WAS FLICKERING RAPIDLY AT THE TOP OF THE GREEN. I MADE A NOTE OF THIS IN THE ACFT SQUAWK BOOK AND CONTINUED TO MONITOR THE OTHER GAUGES WHILE FLYING THE AIRPLANE AND SPEAKING TO CAPE DEP. PASSING THROUGH 6000 FT I NOTED THE VACUUM GAUGE NEEDLE WAS NOW FLICKERING JUST ABOVE THE GREEN ARC. THE ENG THEN MADE A GRINDING NOISE FOR ABOUT 3 SECONDS AND THE PROP CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. I IMMEDIATELY DECREASED AIRSPD 35 KTS TO 85 KTS IAS, TURNED TOWARD MARTHA'S VINEYARD ARPT, CLOSED THE COWL FLAPS, AND ALERTED CAPE DEP OF THE ENG FAILURE AND MY COURSE DEV. I THEN PASSED TO MY WIFE THE EMER PROCS LAMINATED CARDS TO READ ALOUD TO ME WHILE I TURNED THE FUEL VALVE AND MIXTURE CTL TO OFF, MAINTAINED AIRSPD, AND ALERTED ATC THAT I WAS SHUTTING DOWN THE XPONDER (AND OTHER NON-ESSENTIAL ELECTRICAL EQUIP). DIVIDING MY TIME BTWN KEEPING THE MARTHA'S VINEYARD ARPT IN SIGHT AND MONITORING THE AIRSPD I INSTRUCTED MY WIFE TO INSURE HER SEAT BELT AND SHOULD ER HARNESS WERE TIGHT. ATC HANDED ME OFF TO MARTHA'S VINEYARD TWR. I HAD NOT EXPECTED A FREQ CHANGE AND MISSED THE NEW FREQ. I CALLED CAPE DEP, ASKED FOR THE FREQ, AND PUT IT INTO THE 1 RADIO I WAS USING. I INFORMED THE TWR I WAS WITH THEM ON AN EMER APCH. I WAS CLRED TO LAND 'ANY RWY.' THE ACTIVE WAS 24. MY ALT, AIRSPD, AND PROGRESS TO THE ARPT WERE GOOD AND I ELECTED TO FLY AN ABBREVIATED DOWNWIND AND BASE TO 24. I LOWERED THE GEAR ON FINAL TO HELP LOSE ALT AND ALERTED THE TWR THAT THE GEAR DOWN INDICATOR LIGHT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ON. (I DID NOT WANT TO FIXATE ON THE LIGHT WHILE FLYING THE AIRPLANE.) I MAINTAINED 85 KTS UNTIL SHORT FINAL WHEN I STARTED TO LOWER THE FLAPS TO ENABLE ME TO SLOW THE AIRPLANE AND LAND IN A NORMAL LNDG ATTITUDE. THE GEAR HELD. THE ACFT ROLLED TO A STOP AFTER A SMOOTH, NORMAL, UNEVENTFUL, LNDG. 12 MINS HAD PASSED FORM THE TIME THE ENG SHUDDERED TO A GRINDING HALT AND WE ROLLED TO A STOP ON RWY 24 OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD ARPT. A CURSORY INSPECTION OF THE ACFT ON THE RWY SHOWED NO SIGNS OF OIL ON THE COWL. THE OIL LEVEL WAS OKAY AND DID NOT APPEAR TO BE BURNED. THE PROP WAS FROZEN IN POS ABLE TO MOVE LESS THAN AN INCH IN EITHER DIRECTION. I BELIEVE THE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME OF THIS FLT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE FACT THAT I REMAINED FOCUSED ON THE TASK AT HAND, FLYING THE AIRPLANE, AND USED ALL OF THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO ME, INCLUDING MY WIFE WHO READ THE EMER PROCS. I ALWAYS PERFORM A PREFLT INSPECTION PRIOR TO FLT, SO I WAS NOT PLAGUED WITH DOUBT ABOUT OIL AND FUEL LEVELS OR SOMETHING OBVIOUSLY LOOSE IN THE ENG COMPARTMENT. I AM ALSO SENSITIVE TO THE EFFECTS OF EATING AND SLEEP ON MY PHYSIOLOGY AND NEVER LEAVE THE GND HUNGRY OR WITHOUT BEING WELL RESTED. THESE FACTORS, I BELIEVE ENABLED ME TO REMAIN FOCUSED ON SUCCESSFULLY LNDG AND BEING AT MY BEST. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT I WAS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN PRESENTED A SIT WHICH WAS EQUAL TO MY LEVEL OF SKILL.

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.