Narrative:

I was flying a rented archer back from benton harbor, mi, to traverse city, mi, with a planned stop at grand rapids, mi, to check on a flight school and top off the fuel tanks. About 15 mi out of grr, I noticed a problem with the engine gauges. The oil pressure was falling out of the green arc. I suspected a faulty gauge and tapped it, along with checking the circuit breaker panel. It was immediately confirmed with a rise in oil temperature and a 'higher pitch' sound of RPM. I suspected an oil leak of some kind, and began to look for a place to land. The oil temperature continued to rise beyond the red line and indicated an imminent engine failure. I had set up an approach for a small field 10 mi southwest of grr. I chose runway 27, as it was into the wind. Since I had the runway made, I cut the power to idle, to attempt to save the engine. The runway was extremely short (grass runway), and my approach needed to be perfect. It turned out that I was a little high, and my landing looked like it would be long. Because I had the field directly in front of me, and the gauges indicated an engine failure could occur at any time, I chose not to go around and risk crash landing in the trees. I landed, distraction by a flock of birds on my left (one of them hit the left wing), and overran the end of the runway into a field. I had the presence of mind to pull the mixture back to idle cutoff and turn off the master switch before I went off the runway. I was able to bring the plane to a stop in the field without severely damaging the airplane or getting hurt. I towed the plane over to the hangars and took a look at the engine. There was about 6.5 quarts of oil in, which indicated a loss of about 1/2 quart since I took off. There was a small puddle of oil on the base of the cowling which could have come from the oil drain cap. I rechked the tightness of everything, but found no substantial oil loss, as I had suspected. The airframe had suffered several small dents to the skin on the leading edges of the wings from saplings on the overrun field. It was still in an airworthy condition. While I let the engine cool down, I went to a nearby airport, allegan/padgam field, to see if an a&P could come take a look. I also wanted to get some more fuel, as I planned to run up the engine for a long time before flying again and wayland field had no 100LL fuel available. It was saturday and an a&P wasn't available, so I purchased a little over 20 gallons of fuel and returned to wayland field. I did a runup on the engine for between 30 mins and 1 hour, and found nothing abnormal. I rechked the engine visually and found nothing abnormal. I rechked the engine visually, and found no more oil in the bottom (I cleaned off the old). The airplane seemed airworthy, so I flew it to grr, being very gentle with the engine. I picked up a little more fuel there, and continued home to tvc. I flew the engine at 2000 RPM the whole time, and watched the engine gauges carefully. Upon reaching tvc, I called the owner of the rental agency, and notified him of what happened. I believe I made the mistake of trying to save the engine from seizing before saving the airplane. Had I gone around though, I ran the risk of it seizing elsewhere, and crash landing in the trees.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 PLT HAD HIGH OIL TEMP AND LOW OIL PRESSURE. HE MADE AN EMER LNDG.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING A RENTED ARCHER BACK FROM BENTON HARBOR, MI, TO TRAVERSE CITY, MI, WITH A PLANNED STOP AT GRAND RAPIDS, MI, TO CHK ON A FLT SCHOOL AND TOP OFF THE FUEL TANKS. ABOUT 15 MI OUT OF GRR, I NOTICED A PROB WITH THE ENG GAUGES. THE OIL PRESSURE WAS FALLING OUT OF THE GREEN ARC. I SUSPECTED A FAULTY GAUGE AND TAPPED IT, ALONG WITH CHKING THE CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL. IT WAS IMMEDIATELY CONFIRMED WITH A RISE IN OIL TEMP AND A 'HIGHER PITCH' SOUND OF RPM. I SUSPECTED AN OIL LEAK OF SOME KIND, AND BEGAN TO LOOK FOR A PLACE TO LAND. THE OIL TEMP CONTINUED TO RISE BEYOND THE RED LINE AND INDICATED AN IMMINENT ENG FAILURE. I HAD SET UP AN APCH FOR A SMALL FIELD 10 MI SW OF GRR. I CHOSE RWY 27, AS IT WAS INTO THE WIND. SINCE I HAD THE RWY MADE, I CUT THE PWR TO IDLE, TO ATTEMPT TO SAVE THE ENG. THE RWY WAS EXTREMELY SHORT (GRASS RWY), AND MY APCH NEEDED TO BE PERFECT. IT TURNED OUT THAT I WAS A LITTLE HIGH, AND MY LNDG LOOKED LIKE IT WOULD BE LONG. BECAUSE I HAD THE FIELD DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME, AND THE GAUGES INDICATED AN ENG FAILURE COULD OCCUR AT ANY TIME, I CHOSE NOT TO GO AROUND AND RISK CRASH LNDG IN THE TREES. I LANDED, DISTR BY A FLOCK OF BIRDS ON MY L (ONE OF THEM HIT THE L WING), AND OVERRAN THE END OF THE RWY INTO A FIELD. I HAD THE PRESENCE OF MIND TO PULL THE MIXTURE BACK TO IDLE CUTOFF AND TURN OFF THE MASTER SWITCH BEFORE I WENT OFF THE RWY. I WAS ABLE TO BRING THE PLANE TO A STOP IN THE FIELD WITHOUT SEVERELY DAMAGING THE AIRPLANE OR GETTING HURT. I TOWED THE PLANE OVER TO THE HANGARS AND TOOK A LOOK AT THE ENG. THERE WAS ABOUT 6.5 QUARTS OF OIL IN, WHICH INDICATED A LOSS OF ABOUT 1/2 QUART SINCE I TOOK OFF. THERE WAS A SMALL PUDDLE OF OIL ON THE BASE OF THE COWLING WHICH COULD HAVE COME FROM THE OIL DRAIN CAP. I RECHKED THE TIGHTNESS OF EVERYTHING, BUT FOUND NO SUBSTANTIAL OIL LOSS, AS I HAD SUSPECTED. THE AIRFRAME HAD SUFFERED SEVERAL SMALL DENTS TO THE SKIN ON THE LEADING EDGES OF THE WINGS FROM SAPLINGS ON THE OVERRUN FIELD. IT WAS STILL IN AN AIRWORTHY CONDITION. WHILE I LET THE ENG COOL DOWN, I WENT TO A NEARBY ARPT, ALLEGAN/PADGAM FIELD, TO SEE IF AN A&P COULD COME TAKE A LOOK. I ALSO WANTED TO GET SOME MORE FUEL, AS I PLANNED TO RUN UP THE ENG FOR A LONG TIME BEFORE FLYING AGAIN AND WAYLAND FIELD HAD NO 100LL FUEL AVAILABLE. IT WAS SATURDAY AND AN A&P WASN'T AVAILABLE, SO I PURCHASED A LITTLE OVER 20 GALLONS OF FUEL AND RETURNED TO WAYLAND FIELD. I DID A RUNUP ON THE ENG FOR BTWN 30 MINS AND 1 HR, AND FOUND NOTHING ABNORMAL. I RECHKED THE ENG VISUALLY AND FOUND NOTHING ABNORMAL. I RECHKED THE ENG VISUALLY, AND FOUND NO MORE OIL IN THE BOTTOM (I CLEANED OFF THE OLD). THE AIRPLANE SEEMED AIRWORTHY, SO I FLEW IT TO GRR, BEING VERY GENTLE WITH THE ENG. I PICKED UP A LITTLE MORE FUEL THERE, AND CONTINUED HOME TO TVC. I FLEW THE ENG AT 2000 RPM THE WHOLE TIME, AND WATCHED THE ENG GAUGES CAREFULLY. UPON REACHING TVC, I CALLED THE OWNER OF THE RENTAL AGENCY, AND NOTIFIED HIM OF WHAT HAPPENED. I BELIEVE I MADE THE MISTAKE OF TRYING TO SAVE THE ENG FROM SEIZING BEFORE SAVING THE AIRPLANE. HAD I GONE AROUND THOUGH, I RAN THE RISK OF IT SEIZING ELSEWHERE, AND CRASH LNDG IN THE TREES.

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.