Narrative:

On feb/xa/99 on a return from a local flight, approximately 8-10 mi ssw of easterwood field in college station, tx, the CTAF was jammed due to another aircraft's stuck microphone. A 360 degree turn was made to give the tower time to clear out this problem. The problem persisted, so another turn was made. About 1/2 way into the turn at standard rate, the tower and the frequency were both clear. Approximately 6 mi out after this problem that the tower had from the other aircraft, the #1 communications radio started to make a repetitive noise. When the press-to-talk switch was pressed to make a transmission, the radio stack would flicker. (A portable push-to-talk switch was used for this flight because the yoke-installed push-to-talk switch had before been noted as being intermittent.) the portable push-to-talk switch provided no problems. The hand-held microphone on the console was then used instead, but the same flickering and broken xmissions on the radio resulted. However, reception on the radio from the tower was clear, as they asked for me to call again. A look-over of the instrument panel showed the needles in the fuel gauges were moving towards the 'empty' position. However, flight time had been less than 1 1/2 hours, and the fuel tanks were full prior to flight. A portable hand-held transceiver was then used, but low batteries hampered transmitting. However, reception from the tower asking to repeat my call on the hand-held also was clear. By then, electrical failure occurred. A cycling of the avionics master was done, but the radios would just flash. The avionics switch was then shut off and the vicinity of the airport was being searched for any additional traffic. Around 45-60 seconds after electrical failure, engine failure occurred. Open land was below, so best glide was established and an open pasture was selected. From transmitting multiple times on the transceiver, the tower was able to put together that I had engine failure and knew of my approximately location. S-turns were made to bleed off altitude and a landing into the wind was made. Upon rollout, all switches were shut off, as were the mixture and magnetos. An air ambulance departing from easterwood had seen the aircraft making a forced landing and headed towards the area on being told to do so by the tower. No damage to the aircraft was seen, nor were there any injuries sustained by myself. A fuel log was received from the FBO line service personnel showing the last amount of fuel added, which was 2 days prior to this flight (dated feb/wed/99). The next morning, at the pasture, the aircraft was looked over and no damage had occurred. Both fuel tanks were checked and each tank was well over 1/2 of the way full. Flight time on the hobbs meter showed 1.3 hours. The fuel selector switch was discovered to have been moved to between the 'left' and 'both' position in-flight. After straining fuel from the cowling sump and priming the engine with the switch in the 'both' position, the engine was started on the first attempt. I then shut the engine off by pulling the mixture to the 'cut-off' position, followed by shutting off the magnetos. Then I restarted the engine and moved the fuel selector switch to the position between the 'both' and 'left' position. Within approximately 1 min, the engine cut itself off. A test of the alternator was made, as was a radio check, which was well-received by the tower. The aircraft was carefully towed out of the pasture, leaving no damage. A thorough inspection of the engine with the cowling removed showed no damage to the engine or any of its components. When the cowling was placed back on the airframe and fastened, a thorough inspection of the airframe and control surfaces showed no damage, nor was there any damage to any of the antennas on the airframe either. The aircraft was then started and taxied to a long stretch of gravel road with ample distance for takeoff. A run-up was performed, and departure to easterwood field, where the aircraft is based, was made.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 PVT PLT EXPERIENCES RADIO FAILURE BEFORE THE ENG QUITS. HE PERFORMS AN OFF ARPT, EMER LNDG NEAR COLLEGE STATION, TX.

Narrative: ON FEB/XA/99 ON A RETURN FROM A LCL FLT, APPROX 8-10 MI SSW OF EASTERWOOD FIELD IN COLLEGE STATION, TX, THE CTAF WAS JAMMED DUE TO ANOTHER ACFT'S STUCK MIKE. A 360 DEG TURN WAS MADE TO GIVE THE TWR TIME TO CLR OUT THIS PROB. THE PROB PERSISTED, SO ANOTHER TURN WAS MADE. ABOUT 1/2 WAY INTO THE TURN AT STANDARD RATE, THE TWR AND THE FREQ WERE BOTH CLR. APPROX 6 MI OUT AFTER THIS PROB THAT THE TWR HAD FROM THE OTHER ACFT, THE #1 COMS RADIO STARTED TO MAKE A REPETITIVE NOISE. WHEN THE PRESS-TO-TALK SWITCH WAS PRESSED TO MAKE A XMISSION, THE RADIO STACK WOULD FLICKER. (A PORTABLE PUSH-TO-TALK SWITCH WAS USED FOR THIS FLT BECAUSE THE YOKE-INSTALLED PUSH-TO-TALK SWITCH HAD BEFORE BEEN NOTED AS BEING INTERMITTENT.) THE PORTABLE PUSH-TO-TALK SWITCH PROVIDED NO PROBS. THE HAND-HELD MIKE ON THE CONSOLE WAS THEN USED INSTEAD, BUT THE SAME FLICKERING AND BROKEN XMISSIONS ON THE RADIO RESULTED. HOWEVER, RECEPTION ON THE RADIO FROM THE TWR WAS CLR, AS THEY ASKED FOR ME TO CALL AGAIN. A LOOK-OVER OF THE INST PANEL SHOWED THE NEEDLES IN THE FUEL GAUGES WERE MOVING TOWARDS THE 'EMPTY' POS. HOWEVER, FLT TIME HAD BEEN LESS THAN 1 1/2 HRS, AND THE FUEL TANKS WERE FULL PRIOR TO FLT. A PORTABLE HAND-HELD TRANSCEIVER WAS THEN USED, BUT LOW BATTERIES HAMPERED XMITTING. HOWEVER, RECEPTION FROM THE TWR ASKING TO REPEAT MY CALL ON THE HAND-HELD ALSO WAS CLR. BY THEN, ELECTRICAL FAILURE OCCURRED. A CYCLING OF THE AVIONICS MASTER WAS DONE, BUT THE RADIOS WOULD JUST FLASH. THE AVIONICS SWITCH WAS THEN SHUT OFF AND THE VICINITY OF THE ARPT WAS BEING SEARCHED FOR ANY ADDITIONAL TFC. AROUND 45-60 SECONDS AFTER ELECTRICAL FAILURE, ENG FAILURE OCCURRED. OPEN LAND WAS BELOW, SO BEST GLIDE WAS ESTABLISHED AND AN OPEN PASTURE WAS SELECTED. FROM XMITTING MULTIPLE TIMES ON THE TRANSCEIVER, THE TWR WAS ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER THAT I HAD ENG FAILURE AND KNEW OF MY APPROX LOCATION. S-TURNS WERE MADE TO BLEED OFF ALT AND A LNDG INTO THE WIND WAS MADE. UPON ROLLOUT, ALL SWITCHES WERE SHUT OFF, AS WERE THE MIXTURE AND MAGNETOS. AN AIR AMBULANCE DEPARTING FROM EASTERWOOD HAD SEEN THE ACFT MAKING A FORCED LNDG AND HEADED TOWARDS THE AREA ON BEING TOLD TO DO SO BY THE TWR. NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT WAS SEEN, NOR WERE THERE ANY INJURIES SUSTAINED BY MYSELF. A FUEL LOG WAS RECEIVED FROM THE FBO LINE SVC PERSONNEL SHOWING THE LAST AMOUNT OF FUEL ADDED, WHICH WAS 2 DAYS PRIOR TO THIS FLT (DATED FEB/WED/99). THE NEXT MORNING, AT THE PASTURE, THE ACFT WAS LOOKED OVER AND NO DAMAGE HAD OCCURRED. BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE CHKED AND EACH TANK WAS WELL OVER 1/2 OF THE WAY FULL. FLT TIME ON THE HOBBS METER SHOWED 1.3 HRS. THE FUEL SELECTOR SWITCH WAS DISCOVERED TO HAVE BEEN MOVED TO BTWN THE 'L' AND 'BOTH' POS INFLT. AFTER STRAINING FUEL FROM THE COWLING SUMP AND PRIMING THE ENG WITH THE SWITCH IN THE 'BOTH' POS, THE ENG WAS STARTED ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT. I THEN SHUT THE ENG OFF BY PULLING THE MIXTURE TO THE 'CUT-OFF' POS, FOLLOWED BY SHUTTING OFF THE MAGNETOS. THEN I RESTARTED THE ENG AND MOVED THE FUEL SELECTOR SWITCH TO THE POS BTWN THE 'BOTH' AND 'L' POS. WITHIN APPROX 1 MIN, THE ENG CUT ITSELF OFF. A TEST OF THE ALTERNATOR WAS MADE, AS WAS A RADIO CHK, WHICH WAS WELL-RECEIVED BY THE TWR. THE ACFT WAS CAREFULLY TOWED OUT OF THE PASTURE, LEAVING NO DAMAGE. A THOROUGH INSPECTION OF THE ENG WITH THE COWLING REMOVED SHOWED NO DAMAGE TO THE ENG OR ANY OF ITS COMPONENTS. WHEN THE COWLING WAS PLACED BACK ON THE AIRFRAME AND FASTENED, A THOROUGH INSPECTION OF THE AIRFRAME AND CTL SURFACES SHOWED NO DAMAGE, NOR WAS THERE ANY DAMAGE TO ANY OF THE ANTENNAS ON THE AIRFRAME EITHER. THE ACFT WAS THEN STARTED AND TAXIED TO A LONG STRETCH OF GRAVEL ROAD WITH AMPLE DISTANCE FOR TKOF. A RUN-UP WAS PERFORMED, AND DEP TO EASTERWOOD FIELD, WHERE THE ACFT IS BASED, WAS MADE.

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.