Narrative:

I was instructing 2 students, a and B. The students were son and father, and the plan was to have 1 person observe in the back while the other one flies. A and I had flown about 1.3 hours on the flight, uneventful, we did slow flight and medium turns and basic engine out procedures also one touch-and- go at arb and then land there to switch students. B is now the student. We both went through the preflight procedures and all looked normal. We had departed arb to the north to do maneuvers. The WX was about 3000 overcast with some showers in the area, the temperature was in the 70's and very humid, the wind was about 250 at 13 KTS, and the pressure was 29.71. We were about 2500 ft MSL and just started to do some turns at a slow speed (75 mph). The engine began to run rough inside of a second. The engine was approximately 2250 RPM before the trouble and then reduced to about 1900-2000 RPM's and very rough after. I took the controls from the student, went through the engine out checklist. I suspected carburetor ice and promptly applied the carburetor heat. It seemed to help for a little bit, but engine improvement did not hold. I looked for a field, and there were many. I decided to head to yip airport because we were about 1/2 way between yip and arb, arb also a city before it, and yip was the aircraft home base and had more rescue facilities. I informed yip of our intentions with the engine problems, and asked to be let directly in to the field. They acknowledged and asked how many people were on board, I informed them 3. The engine would not respond to a throttle adjustment (advancement) and was set about 3/4 open. I did not want to try anything out of the normal to try and fix the engine because we were only about 1000 AGL and I did not want to make the situation worse, the engine felt very weak. After a couple of mins, the engine had gotten worse. I had kept flying over fields and roads, to leave myself an out. Then engine had gotten a lot worse and I felt like the airplane would not make it to the airport. I started to circle a field I had decided to land on, if the engine did not get better. When I began to circle, the engine effectively quit and I had to land in another field. I told my students to make sure that they were strapped in and that we were going to land. The landing was nice, but there was an unavoidable puddle in the way. The left main gear caught the puddle first (at about 40 mph) and this caused the airplane to swerve left and the right wing caught the ground. The wing grabbing the ground caused the nose to dig in and the plane tipped up on the nose and almost tipped over, but it just hung there for about a second, and then plopped down on the mains. I shut off the magnetos and the mixture and the master, asked if my students were alright, and exited the aircraft. The rescue personnel arrived soon after and no one was injured. The airplane had a damaged right wing, propeller, spinner, an the front nose gear was bent to the side about 20 degrees. I am not sure what caused the failure or what could be done to prevent it, but I credit my training for not letting the situation come out more tragic.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR WITH 2 STUDENTS ABOARD HAS ENG FAILURE. EMER LNDG.

Narrative: I WAS INSTRUCTING 2 STUDENTS, A AND B. THE STUDENTS WERE SON AND FATHER, AND THE PLAN WAS TO HAVE 1 PERSON OBSERVE IN THE BACK WHILE THE OTHER ONE FLIES. A AND I HAD FLOWN ABOUT 1.3 HRS ON THE FLT, UNEVENTFUL, WE DID SLOW FLT AND MEDIUM TURNS AND BASIC ENG OUT PROCS ALSO ONE TOUCH-AND- GO AT ARB AND THEN LAND THERE TO SWITCH STUDENTS. B IS NOW THE STUDENT. WE BOTH WENT THROUGH THE PREFLT PROCS AND ALL LOOKED NORMAL. WE HAD DEPARTED ARB TO THE N TO DO MANEUVERS. THE WX WAS ABOUT 3000 OVCST WITH SOME SHOWERS IN THE AREA, THE TEMP WAS IN THE 70'S AND VERY HUMID, THE WIND WAS ABOUT 250 AT 13 KTS, AND THE PRESSURE WAS 29.71. WE WERE ABOUT 2500 FT MSL AND JUST STARTED TO DO SOME TURNS AT A SLOW SPD (75 MPH). THE ENG BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH INSIDE OF A SECOND. THE ENG WAS APPROX 2250 RPM BEFORE THE TROUBLE AND THEN REDUCED TO ABOUT 1900-2000 RPM'S AND VERY ROUGH AFTER. I TOOK THE CTLS FROM THE STUDENT, WENT THROUGH THE ENG OUT CHKLIST. I SUSPECTED CARB ICE AND PROMPTLY APPLIED THE CARB HEAT. IT SEEMED TO HELP FOR A LITTLE BIT, BUT ENG IMPROVEMENT DID NOT HOLD. I LOOKED FOR A FIELD, AND THERE WERE MANY. I DECIDED TO HEAD TO YIP ARPT BECAUSE WE WERE ABOUT 1/2 WAY BTWN YIP AND ARB, ARB ALSO A CITY BEFORE IT, AND YIP WAS THE ACFT HOME BASE AND HAD MORE RESCUE FACILITIES. I INFORMED YIP OF OUR INTENTIONS WITH THE ENG PROBS, AND ASKED TO BE LET DIRECTLY IN TO THE FIELD. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED AND ASKED HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE ON BOARD, I INFORMED THEM 3. THE ENG WOULD NOT RESPOND TO A THROTTLE ADJUSTMENT (ADVANCEMENT) AND WAS SET ABOUT 3/4 OPEN. I DID NOT WANT TO TRY ANYTHING OUT OF THE NORMAL TO TRY AND FIX THE ENG BECAUSE WE WERE ONLY ABOUT 1000 AGL AND I DID NOT WANT TO MAKE THE SIT WORSE, THE ENG FELT VERY WEAK. AFTER A COUPLE OF MINS, THE ENG HAD GOTTEN WORSE. I HAD KEPT FLYING OVER FIELDS AND ROADS, TO LEAVE MYSELF AN OUT. THEN ENG HAD GOTTEN A LOT WORSE AND I FELT LIKE THE AIRPLANE WOULD NOT MAKE IT TO THE ARPT. I STARTED TO CIRCLE A FIELD I HAD DECIDED TO LAND ON, IF THE ENG DID NOT GET BETTER. WHEN I BEGAN TO CIRCLE, THE ENG EFFECTIVELY QUIT AND I HAD TO LAND IN ANOTHER FIELD. I TOLD MY STUDENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE STRAPPED IN AND THAT WE WERE GOING TO LAND. THE LNDG WAS NICE, BUT THERE WAS AN UNAVOIDABLE PUDDLE IN THE WAY. THE L MAIN GEAR CAUGHT THE PUDDLE FIRST (AT ABOUT 40 MPH) AND THIS CAUSED THE AIRPLANE TO SWERVE L AND THE R WING CAUGHT THE GND. THE WING GRABBING THE GND CAUSED THE NOSE TO DIG IN AND THE PLANE TIPPED UP ON THE NOSE AND ALMOST TIPPED OVER, BUT IT JUST HUNG THERE FOR ABOUT A SECOND, AND THEN PLOPPED DOWN ON THE MAINS. I SHUT OFF THE MAGNETOS AND THE MIXTURE AND THE MASTER, ASKED IF MY STUDENTS WERE ALRIGHT, AND EXITED THE ACFT. THE RESCUE PERSONNEL ARRIVED SOON AFTER AND NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE AIRPLANE HAD A DAMAGED R WING, PROP, SPINNER, AN THE FRONT NOSE GEAR WAS BENT TO THE SIDE ABOUT 20 DEGS. I AM NOT SURE WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE OR WHAT COULD BE DONE TO PREVENT IT, BUT I CREDIT MY TRAINING FOR NOT LETTING THE SIT COME OUT MORE TRAGIC.

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.