Narrative:

On jul/sat/04, I had an off field, emergency landing in an AC11 (turbo charged commander 112) with a total of 4 occupants, 2 adults and 2 adolescents. The flight began as normal as any other with the proper preflight and checklist that resulted in no abnormalities. After departing ZZZ our route took us towards ZZZ1 and then towards toledo bend reservoir. At that point we were about 1700 ft MSL and I turned the aircraft back towards ZZZ with the intention of landing full stop. Not far from the reservoir the engine died with no warning. My first instinct was to pump the throttle as I was a little fooled from the windmilling propeller however I immediately tried to get a restart on the engine while looking for a field in the event that it would not start. The field that looked the safest required immediate action so I turned towards it telling the passenger to prepare for an emergency landing and instructed them to put their heads between their knees. After turning final for the field I noticed the obstacles that would have to be cleared including some pretty high trees, a barbed wire fence, some mounds which looked to me like small hills but later turned out to be high clumps of grass, and that there was not a whole lot of room until the end of the field at least from my vantage point. With this in mind I decided the safest action to take would be a belly landing to avoid clipping the trees or barbed wire fence, and I worried that with the gear down the aircraft might hit the mounds and roll or possibly not stop in time to miss the trees at the end of the field. On short final for the field I dropped the flaps, switched the fuel selector valve from the right tank to off, and turned off the master switch. Narrowly missing the barbed wire fence the aircraft touched down smoothly onto the field with the propeller windmilling. During the sliding phase of the landing the aircraft made contact with one of the large clumps of high grass and caused the aircraft to spin around 180 degrees and we continued our slide backwards. Once the aircraft was stopped I asked if anyone was hurt and we exited the aircraft. The apparent damage that I noticed was to the flaps and to the propeller which was bent in 2 separate directions one forward and one backwards. I never saw any engine parameters out of the green. The settings before the failure were 2400 rpms with about 23 inches on the manifold pressure. This is all I remember as I did not have the altitude to allow the luxury of more troubleshooting. There were no injuries or fatalities, and no damage to property other than the aircraft. The aircraft is a privately owned, not for hire, AC11. The engine is a lycoming io-360 that has approximately 70 hours since major overhaul. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance into the causes of the engine failure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AC11 COMMANDER CFI PERFORMS A GEAR UP EMER OFF ART LNDG WHEN HIS ENG QUITS AT LOW LEVEL, 7 NM SE FROM HIS ARPT AT ZZZ.

Narrative: ON JUL/SAT/04, I HAD AN OFF FIELD, EMER LNDG IN AN AC11 (TURBO CHARGED COMMANDER 112) WITH A TOTAL OF 4 OCCUPANTS, 2 ADULTS AND 2 ADOLESCENTS. THE FLT BEGAN AS NORMAL AS ANY OTHER WITH THE PROPER PREFLT AND CHKLIST THAT RESULTED IN NO ABNORMALITIES. AFTER DEPARTING ZZZ OUR RTE TOOK US TOWARDS ZZZ1 AND THEN TOWARDS TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR. AT THAT POINT WE WERE ABOUT 1700 FT MSL AND I TURNED THE ACFT BACK TOWARDS ZZZ WITH THE INTENTION OF LNDG FULL STOP. NOT FAR FROM THE RESERVOIR THE ENG DIED WITH NO WARNING. MY FIRST INSTINCT WAS TO PUMP THE THROTTLE AS I WAS A LITTLE FOOLED FROM THE WINDMILLING PROP HOWEVER I IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO GET A RESTART ON THE ENG WHILE LOOKING FOR A FIELD IN THE EVENT THAT IT WOULD NOT START. THE FIELD THAT LOOKED THE SAFEST REQUIRED IMMEDIATE ACTION SO I TURNED TOWARDS IT TELLING THE PAX TO PREPARE FOR AN EMER LNDG AND INSTRUCTED THEM TO PUT THEIR HEADS BTWN THEIR KNEES. AFTER TURNING FINAL FOR THE FIELD I NOTICED THE OBSTACLES THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE CLRED INCLUDING SOME PRETTY HIGH TREES, A BARBED WIRE FENCE, SOME MOUNDS WHICH LOOKED TO ME LIKE SMALL HILLS BUT LATER TURNED OUT TO BE HIGH CLUMPS OF GRASS, AND THAT THERE WAS NOT A WHOLE LOT OF ROOM UNTIL THE END OF THE FIELD AT LEAST FROM MY VANTAGE POINT. WITH THIS IN MIND I DECIDED THE SAFEST ACTION TO TAKE WOULD BE A BELLY LNDG TO AVOID CLIPPING THE TREES OR BARBED WIRE FENCE, AND I WORRIED THAT WITH THE GEAR DOWN THE ACFT MIGHT HIT THE MOUNDS AND ROLL OR POSSIBLY NOT STOP IN TIME TO MISS THE TREES AT THE END OF THE FIELD. ON SHORT FINAL FOR THE FIELD I DROPPED THE FLAPS, SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE FROM THE R TANK TO OFF, AND TURNED OFF THE MASTER SWITCH. NARROWLY MISSING THE BARBED WIRE FENCE THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN SMOOTHLY ONTO THE FIELD WITH THE PROP WINDMILLING. DURING THE SLIDING PHASE OF THE LNDG THE ACFT MADE CONTACT WITH ONE OF THE LARGE CLUMPS OF HIGH GRASS AND CAUSED THE ACFT TO SPIN AROUND 180 DEGS AND WE CONTINUED OUR SLIDE BACKWARDS. ONCE THE ACFT WAS STOPPED I ASKED IF ANYONE WAS HURT AND WE EXITED THE ACFT. THE APPARENT DAMAGE THAT I NOTICED WAS TO THE FLAPS AND TO THE PROP WHICH WAS BENT IN 2 SEPARATE DIRECTIONS ONE FORWARD AND ONE BACKWARDS. I NEVER SAW ANY ENG PARAMETERS OUT OF THE GREEN. THE SETTINGS BEFORE THE FAILURE WERE 2400 RPMS WITH ABOUT 23 INCHES ON THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE. THIS IS ALL I REMEMBER AS I DID NOT HAVE THE ALT TO ALLOW THE LUXURY OF MORE TROUBLESHOOTING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES, AND NO DAMAGE TO PROPERTY OTHER THAN THE ACFT. THE ACFT IS A PRIVATELY OWNED, NOT FOR HIRE, AC11. THE ENG IS A LYCOMING IO-360 THAT HAS APPROX 70 HRS SINCE MAJOR OVERHAUL. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I CAN BE OF FURTHER ASSISTANCE INTO THE CAUSES OF THE ENG FAILURE.

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.