Narrative:

At approximately XX15 pm sep/yy/96, I was on a flight plan from merrill field to mt mckinley with 2 passenger. I had a flight plan at corporate office and kenai FSS. I had over 100 mi of visibility with light winds and clear skies. When I passed over the big susitna river, I was 1000 ft MSL with all instruments normal. I began a climb just past the river and was climbing 400-500 FPM at 100 KTS. When I got to 4000 ft MSL, I felt something like the engine was a little rough, hardly noticeable. I went through the emergency check, carburetor heat, fuel pump on, switch fuel tanks, oil pressure top third of green, oil temperature 190 degrees, fuel pressure normal. I continued the climb at 200 FPM to 4500 ft MSL. At this point I felt the roughness get a little more noticeable. I told the passenger that I had a rough engine, I called nxxxx office's other aircraft was about 30-45 mins ahead of me on 123.5, our company frequency, and mr a replied. I told mr a I had a rough engine and I was over the yentna river and was going to try to go to skwentna. As soon as I had given mr a this information, the engine really got rough. I checked oil pressure top third of green, oil temperature 190 degrees, fuel pressure normal and 2525 RPM. I pulled the power back to try to take the pressure off the engine and it seemed to smooth out for a second but I could feel there was no power. I increased throttle to see if that would help and the roughness (rough not shaking) increased and engine stopped at 2400 RPM. Mr B was at our office and listening on our base radio and he said from the time I reported to mr a that I had a rough engine until it stopped was less than a min. I started my glide speed and had already picked out my landing spot and marked an X in my mind where I wanted to land on the sand bar. I could not see the propeller. I checked oil pressure and saw the oil pressure was falling down past the lower third of the green and continued past the green, oil temperature still 190 degrees, fuel pressure normal. I was at 3500 ft MSL at this time. I called mr a and told him my engine stopped and I was going to land on a sand bar about half way between the mouth of kahiltna river and the mouth of lake creek on the south side of the yentna. I tried to brief the passenger again. I told them how to open the door and the man kept asking me how again and I explained to them 4 times and touching the latch handles each time on the 5TH time I told them to lean forward and by this time I was approximately 2000 ft MSL, so I decided to stop trying to tell them any more and fly the aircraft to the X I had printed in my mind. During the briefing at 3000 ft MSL, the engine oil covered the right windscreen, so I could not see through it. From 3000 ft to 2000 ft MSL, the left windscreen was covered with oil also. At first I could see through the oil but it was a blur so I decided not to try to look through because my depth perception would be off and the left window would be the best to know when to flare. From 2000 ft I just thought about the X on the sand bar and flying the aircraft. I had seen what I thought was trees that I would have to fly over to land on the X but when I got down to 500 ft MSL, I saw out the left window that they were not trees but small bushes but I kept on my flight path to the X. When I got to approximately 1 ft above the bushes and they passed under my window I had started my flare and I had kept my airspeed high because I wanted to be able to get as high of an angle of attack as possible but not float or stall and drop in. After I passed the bushes I saw that I had flared and the ground was approximately 3 ft below me. I could not figure out why I was 3 ft above the ground when I was only 1 ft when I had set up the angle of attack and the aircraft had not floated and everything felt good and right so, I decided to hold the same attitude and let it settle to the ground because I could not see where I was going and could only see out the left window and maybe a little out the bottom corner of the left windscreen. About that time I felt the aircraft contact the ground with the nose high just like I wanted, as the mains contacted the ground the nose came down a little hard but I never felt myself lunge forward or the shock of the impact but I could hear the noise of the aircraft contacting the ground and immediately the aircraft stopped. I had slid approximately the length of the aircraft with the left gear and nose gear collapsed. The ELT did not go off so I turned it on. I made sure all switches and fuel were shut off and opened the door and discovered that none of us was hurt and we departed the aircraft. After we departed the aircraft I found that I had flown over a ravine and that was the reason that I had the 3 ft under me and that the left main gear had contacted the embankment of the ravine about 6-8 inches down. The aircraft landed straight forward without turning and came to a stop. After I checked for fuel leaks or spills I found none. I turned on the radio and called nxxxx and told mr a that we were down on the sand bar and no one was hurt. I looked at the engine where the propeller should be and I found none. The propeller and part of the crank shaft had separated. The crankshaft had broken off just in front of the front main bearing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28-161 ACFT LOST PWR AND THEN LOST THE ENG FORCING AN EMER LNDG. ACFT DAMAGED DURING OFF ARPT LNDG.

Narrative: AT APPROX XX15 PM SEP/YY/96, I WAS ON A FLT PLAN FROM MERRILL FIELD TO MT MCKINLEY WITH 2 PAX. I HAD A FLT PLAN AT CORPORATE OFFICE AND KENAI FSS. I HAD OVER 100 MI OF VISIBILITY WITH LIGHT WINDS AND CLR SKIES. WHEN I PASSED OVER THE BIG SUSITNA RIVER, I WAS 1000 FT MSL WITH ALL INSTS NORMAL. I BEGAN A CLB JUST PAST THE RIVER AND WAS CLBING 400-500 FPM AT 100 KTS. WHEN I GOT TO 4000 FT MSL, I FELT SOMETHING LIKE THE ENG WAS A LITTLE ROUGH, HARDLY NOTICEABLE. I WENT THROUGH THE EMER CHK, CARB HEAT, FUEL PUMP ON, SWITCH FUEL TANKS, OIL PRESSURE TOP THIRD OF GREEN, OIL TEMP 190 DEGS, FUEL PRESSURE NORMAL. I CONTINUED THE CLB AT 200 FPM TO 4500 FT MSL. AT THIS POINT I FELT THE ROUGHNESS GET A LITTLE MORE NOTICEABLE. I TOLD THE PAX THAT I HAD A ROUGH ENG, I CALLED NXXXX OFFICE'S OTHER ACFT WAS ABOUT 30-45 MINS AHEAD OF ME ON 123.5, OUR COMPANY FREQ, AND MR A REPLIED. I TOLD MR A I HAD A ROUGH ENG AND I WAS OVER THE YENTNA RIVER AND WAS GOING TO TRY TO GO TO SKWENTNA. AS SOON AS I HAD GIVEN MR A THIS INFO, THE ENG REALLY GOT ROUGH. I CHKED OIL PRESSURE TOP THIRD OF GREEN, OIL TEMP 190 DEGS, FUEL PRESSURE NORMAL AND 2525 RPM. I PULLED THE PWR BACK TO TRY TO TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF THE ENG AND IT SEEMED TO SMOOTH OUT FOR A SECOND BUT I COULD FEEL THERE WAS NO PWR. I INCREASED THROTTLE TO SEE IF THAT WOULD HELP AND THE ROUGHNESS (ROUGH NOT SHAKING) INCREASED AND ENG STOPPED AT 2400 RPM. MR B WAS AT OUR OFFICE AND LISTENING ON OUR BASE RADIO AND HE SAID FROM THE TIME I RPTED TO MR A THAT I HAD A ROUGH ENG UNTIL IT STOPPED WAS LESS THAN A MIN. I STARTED MY GLIDE SPD AND HAD ALREADY PICKED OUT MY LNDG SPOT AND MARKED AN X IN MY MIND WHERE I WANTED TO LAND ON THE SAND BAR. I COULD NOT SEE THE PROP. I CHKED OIL PRESSURE AND SAW THE OIL PRESSURE WAS FALLING DOWN PAST THE LOWER THIRD OF THE GREEN AND CONTINUED PAST THE GREEN, OIL TEMP STILL 190 DEGS, FUEL PRESSURE NORMAL. I WAS AT 3500 FT MSL AT THIS TIME. I CALLED MR A AND TOLD HIM MY ENG STOPPED AND I WAS GOING TO LAND ON A SAND BAR ABOUT HALF WAY BTWN THE MOUTH OF KAHILTNA RIVER AND THE MOUTH OF LAKE CREEK ON THE S SIDE OF THE YENTNA. I TRIED TO BRIEF THE PAX AGAIN. I TOLD THEM HOW TO OPEN THE DOOR AND THE MAN KEPT ASKING ME HOW AGAIN AND I EXPLAINED TO THEM 4 TIMES AND TOUCHING THE LATCH HANDLES EACH TIME ON THE 5TH TIME I TOLD THEM TO LEAN FORWARD AND BY THIS TIME I WAS APPROX 2000 FT MSL, SO I DECIDED TO STOP TRYING TO TELL THEM ANY MORE AND FLY THE ACFT TO THE X I HAD PRINTED IN MY MIND. DURING THE BRIEFING AT 3000 FT MSL, THE ENG OIL COVERED THE R WINDSCREEN, SO I COULD NOT SEE THROUGH IT. FROM 3000 FT TO 2000 FT MSL, THE L WINDSCREEN WAS COVERED WITH OIL ALSO. AT FIRST I COULD SEE THROUGH THE OIL BUT IT WAS A BLUR SO I DECIDED NOT TO TRY TO LOOK THROUGH BECAUSE MY DEPTH PERCEPTION WOULD BE OFF AND THE L WINDOW WOULD BE THE BEST TO KNOW WHEN TO FLARE. FROM 2000 FT I JUST THOUGHT ABOUT THE X ON THE SAND BAR AND FLYING THE ACFT. I HAD SEEN WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TREES THAT I WOULD HAVE TO FLY OVER TO LAND ON THE X BUT WHEN I GOT DOWN TO 500 FT MSL, I SAW OUT THE L WINDOW THAT THEY WERE NOT TREES BUT SMALL BUSHES BUT I KEPT ON MY FLT PATH TO THE X. WHEN I GOT TO APPROX 1 FT ABOVE THE BUSHES AND THEY PASSED UNDER MY WINDOW I HAD STARTED MY FLARE AND I HAD KEPT MY AIRSPD HIGH BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO GET AS HIGH OF AN ANGLE OF ATTACK AS POSSIBLE BUT NOT FLOAT OR STALL AND DROP IN. AFTER I PASSED THE BUSHES I SAW THAT I HAD FLARED AND THE GND WAS APPROX 3 FT BELOW ME. I COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHY I WAS 3 FT ABOVE THE GND WHEN I WAS ONLY 1 FT WHEN I HAD SET UP THE ANGLE OF ATTACK AND THE ACFT HAD NOT FLOATED AND EVERYTHING FELT GOOD AND RIGHT SO, I DECIDED TO HOLD THE SAME ATTITUDE AND LET IT SETTLE TO THE GND BECAUSE I COULD NOT SEE WHERE I WAS GOING AND COULD ONLY SEE OUT THE L WINDOW AND MAYBE A LITTLE OUT THE BOTTOM CORNER OF THE L WINDSCREEN. ABOUT THAT TIME I FELT THE ACFT CONTACT THE GND WITH THE NOSE HIGH JUST LIKE I WANTED, AS THE MAINS CONTACTED THE GND THE NOSE CAME DOWN A LITTLE HARD BUT I NEVER FELT MYSELF LUNGE FORWARD OR THE SHOCK OF THE IMPACT BUT I COULD HEAR THE NOISE OF THE ACFT CONTACTING THE GND AND IMMEDIATELY THE ACFT STOPPED. I HAD SLID APPROX THE LENGTH OF THE ACFT WITH THE L GEAR AND NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. THE ELT DID NOT GO OFF SO I TURNED IT ON. I MADE SURE ALL SWITCHES AND FUEL WERE SHUT OFF AND OPENED THE DOOR AND DISCOVERED THAT NONE OF US WAS HURT AND WE DEPARTED THE ACFT. AFTER WE DEPARTED THE ACFT I FOUND THAT I HAD FLOWN OVER A RAVINE AND THAT WAS THE REASON THAT I HAD THE 3 FT UNDER ME AND THAT THE L MAIN GEAR HAD CONTACTED THE EMBANKMENT OF THE RAVINE ABOUT 6-8 INCHES DOWN. THE ACFT LANDED STRAIGHT FORWARD WITHOUT TURNING AND CAME TO A STOP. AFTER I CHKED FOR FUEL LEAKS OR SPILLS I FOUND NONE. I TURNED ON THE RADIO AND CALLED NXXXX AND TOLD MR A THAT WE WERE DOWN ON THE SAND BAR AND NO ONE WAS HURT. I LOOKED AT THE ENG WHERE THE PROP SHOULD BE AND I FOUND NONE. THE PROP AND PART OF THE CRANK SHAFT HAD SEPARATED. THE CRANKSHAFT HAD BROKEN OFF JUST IN FRONT OF THE FRONT MAIN BEARING.

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.