Narrative:

After departure I initiated a climb to 10000 ft MSL. After leveling off at that altitude I headed south from amarillo; and flew over a private airport. My plan was to practice emergency procedures. After retarding the throttle to idle I practiced the emergency engine failure procedures and picked that private airport as a landing area. After doing this a number of times I then climbed back to 10000 ft. And this time I was going to simulate attempting to restart my engine after a failure. After leveling off at 10000 ft MSL I shut of the magnetos and pulled the nose up to feather the propeller. I then glided around circling the private airport until I reached an altitude of 8000 ft MSL. I had done this procedure many times before and never had any trouble restarting the engine in-flight. After reaching 8000 ft I turned the electrical master switch back on and turned the key to restart the engine. The engine would not turn over. Next I cycled the master on and off and tested the radios to see if I was getting any power to them. The radios would not turn on. I then cycled the master on and off to see if that would work. At this point I accepted that I had no electrical power. I was not too scared at this time because I had plenty of altitude and was right over the top of an airport. The next plan was to push the throttle and mixture in and turn the magnetos on. I was going to attempt to dive the airplane and get the propeller spinning again to start the engine. After nosing the airplane down I pitched until my airspeed was getting in the yellow arc. I surely thought that this would get the propeller spinning for an air-start. It did not. After diving to 6000 ft MSL I accepted that I could not get the engine started and decided to land at the little airstrip. I was still right over the top of it and began circling it to lose altitude while working through the emergency landing checklist. When I was approximately 1000 ft AGL above the landing area I set up for a right downwind for the north runway at the private strip. I still was not too scared because I had practiced emergency lndgs with my instructor a thousand times. I realized that I was not going to have flaps because I had no electrical power. My plan was to turn base when I was about 600 ft AGL and use a slip to burn some altitude and make a normal landing. My biggest fear though was flying too long on downwind and not being able to make the runway. Due to this fear I turned base sooner than I should have. My best estimate would be that I turned base at about 700 ft AGL airspeed 80 mph (best rate of glide for C172). Another factor that I did not consider is in all my emergency training I always practiced lndgs with the propeller turning and the engine idling. In this scenario I had feathered the propeller turning and the engine idling. In this scenario I had feathered the propeller up at 10000 ft MSL. As a result my airplane was gliding a lot better than I had practiced before. All of these factors put together contributed for me coming in to land high and fast. As a result when I turned final I knew that I would overshoot the runway. I briefly tried to slip the airplane; but stopped because I realized I could not make it. Even if I could get down; without flaps I would be going too fast to make a landing. So at about 400 ft AGL; I decided to land in the pasture right to the left of the airstrip. There were power lines at the end of the runway so instead of trying to fly over them and land in the pasture beyond the runway; I opted to make a 110 degree turn to the right and accept a downwind landing in a smooth pasture to the east of the private strip. I simply banked the airplane to the left and landed without incident in a big smooth pasture. The landing was uneventful. (My airplane is based at a grass strip and I am used to making these types of lndgs.) after getting out of the airplane I examined the aircraft and there was absolutely zero damage done to the airplane. As luck would have it the land owner was on this pasture when I landed. After meeting him and explaining what happened he offered me a ride to town. I told him that I might have to take him up on that. But first I wanted to see if I could start my airplane. I turned the C172 into the wind and flipped the master on; nothing. I tried flipping it on and off on and off; still nothing. I then removed the upper cowling on the airplane and inspected the battery and wiring. Everything appeared to be in order. I then went back in the cockpit and once again tried cycling the master on off on off; this time at a faster rate. It turned on. After this I put the upper cowling back on and pushed the airplane to the end of the pasture. After talking to the land owner and him showing me the smoothest ground to attempt a takeoff I decided that a takeoff was practical and safe. Once going through an extensive preflight I got in the airplane and turned the key to start. I then cycled the master on off on off just like before. The engine started no problem. After taxiing to the area the land owner said I could take off from I performed an extensive run-up and electrical test. I decided that I would only use 1 radio and the transponder and turn all other electrical equipment off. I accelerated the power and was surprised at how smooth the pasture was. The takeoff was uneventful as was the landing at my home base. We later determined that we had a bad master switch. I am just thankful that no property was damaged and the airplane was not scratched.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INEXPERIENCED PRIVATE PILOT SHUTS DOWN ENGINE OF C172 TO PRACTICE INFLT STARTS BUT IS UNABLE TO DO SO. MISSES NEARBY ARPT AND LANDS DEAD STICK IN ADJACENT FIELD.

Narrative: AFTER DEP I INITIATED A CLB TO 10000 FT MSL. AFTER LEVELING OFF AT THAT ALT I HEADED S FROM AMARILLO; AND FLEW OVER A PVT ARPT. MY PLAN WAS TO PRACTICE EMER PROCS. AFTER RETARDING THE THROTTLE TO IDLE I PRACTICED THE EMER ENG FAILURE PROCS AND PICKED THAT PVT ARPT AS A LNDG AREA. AFTER DOING THIS A NUMBER OF TIMES I THEN CLBED BACK TO 10000 FT. AND THIS TIME I WAS GOING TO SIMULATE ATTEMPTING TO RESTART MY ENG AFTER A FAILURE. AFTER LEVELING OFF AT 10000 FT MSL I SHUT OF THE MAGNETOS AND PULLED THE NOSE UP TO FEATHER THE PROP. I THEN GLIDED AROUND CIRCLING THE PVT ARPT UNTIL I REACHED AN ALT OF 8000 FT MSL. I HAD DONE THIS PROC MANY TIMES BEFORE AND NEVER HAD ANY TROUBLE RESTARTING THE ENG INFLT. AFTER REACHING 8000 FT I TURNED THE ELECTRICAL MASTER SWITCH BACK ON AND TURNED THE KEY TO RESTART THE ENG. THE ENG WOULD NOT TURN OVER. NEXT I CYCLED THE MASTER ON AND OFF AND TESTED THE RADIOS TO SEE IF I WAS GETTING ANY PWR TO THEM. THE RADIOS WOULD NOT TURN ON. I THEN CYCLED THE MASTER ON AND OFF TO SEE IF THAT WOULD WORK. AT THIS POINT I ACCEPTED THAT I HAD NO ELECTRICAL PWR. I WAS NOT TOO SCARED AT THIS TIME BECAUSE I HAD PLENTY OF ALT AND WAS RIGHT OVER THE TOP OF AN ARPT. THE NEXT PLAN WAS TO PUSH THE THROTTLE AND MIXTURE IN AND TURN THE MAGNETOS ON. I WAS GOING TO ATTEMPT TO DIVE THE AIRPLANE AND GET THE PROP SPINNING AGAIN TO START THE ENG. AFTER NOSING THE AIRPLANE DOWN I PITCHED UNTIL MY AIRSPD WAS GETTING IN THE YELLOW ARC. I SURELY THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD GET THE PROP SPINNING FOR AN AIR-START. IT DID NOT. AFTER DIVING TO 6000 FT MSL I ACCEPTED THAT I COULD NOT GET THE ENG STARTED AND DECIDED TO LAND AT THE LITTLE AIRSTRIP. I WAS STILL RIGHT OVER THE TOP OF IT AND BEGAN CIRCLING IT TO LOSE ALT WHILE WORKING THROUGH THE EMER LNDG CHKLIST. WHEN I WAS APPROX 1000 FT AGL ABOVE THE LNDG AREA I SET UP FOR A R DOWNWIND FOR THE N RWY AT THE PVT STRIP. I STILL WAS NOT TOO SCARED BECAUSE I HAD PRACTICED EMER LNDGS WITH MY INSTRUCTOR A THOUSAND TIMES. I REALIZED THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO HAVE FLAPS BECAUSE I HAD NO ELECTRICAL PWR. MY PLAN WAS TO TURN BASE WHEN I WAS ABOUT 600 FT AGL AND USE A SLIP TO BURN SOME ALT AND MAKE A NORMAL LNDG. MY BIGGEST FEAR THOUGH WAS FLYING TOO LONG ON DOWNWIND AND NOT BEING ABLE TO MAKE THE RWY. DUE TO THIS FEAR I TURNED BASE SOONER THAN I SHOULD HAVE. MY BEST ESTIMATE WOULD BE THAT I TURNED BASE AT ABOUT 700 FT AGL AIRSPD 80 MPH (BEST RATE OF GLIDE FOR C172). ANOTHER FACTOR THAT I DID NOT CONSIDER IS IN ALL MY EMER TRAINING I ALWAYS PRACTICED LNDGS WITH THE PROP TURNING AND THE ENG IDLING. IN THIS SCENARIO I HAD FEATHERED THE PROP TURNING AND THE ENG IDLING. IN THIS SCENARIO I HAD FEATHERED THE PROP UP AT 10000 FT MSL. AS A RESULT MY AIRPLANE WAS GLIDING A LOT BETTER THAN I HAD PRACTICED BEFORE. ALL OF THESE FACTORS PUT TOGETHER CONTRIBUTED FOR ME COMING IN TO LAND HIGH AND FAST. AS A RESULT WHEN I TURNED FINAL I KNEW THAT I WOULD OVERSHOOT THE RWY. I BRIEFLY TRIED TO SLIP THE AIRPLANE; BUT STOPPED BECAUSE I REALIZED I COULD NOT MAKE IT. EVEN IF I COULD GET DOWN; WITHOUT FLAPS I WOULD BE GOING TOO FAST TO MAKE A LNDG. SO AT ABOUT 400 FT AGL; I DECIDED TO LAND IN THE PASTURE RIGHT TO THE L OF THE AIRSTRIP. THERE WERE PWR LINES AT THE END OF THE RWY SO INSTEAD OF TRYING TO FLY OVER THEM AND LAND IN THE PASTURE BEYOND THE RWY; I OPTED TO MAKE A 110 DEG TURN TO THE R AND ACCEPT A DOWNWIND LNDG IN A SMOOTH PASTURE TO THE E OF THE PVT STRIP. I SIMPLY BANKED THE AIRPLANE TO THE L AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT IN A BIG SMOOTH PASTURE. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. (MY AIRPLANE IS BASED AT A GRASS STRIP AND I AM USED TO MAKING THESE TYPES OF LNDGS.) AFTER GETTING OUT OF THE AIRPLANE I EXAMINED THE ACFT AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY ZERO DAMAGE DONE TO THE AIRPLANE. AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT THE LAND OWNER WAS ON THIS PASTURE WHEN I LANDED. AFTER MEETING HIM AND EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENED HE OFFERED ME A RIDE TO TOWN. I TOLD HIM THAT I MIGHT HAVE TO TAKE HIM UP ON THAT. BUT FIRST I WANTED TO SEE IF I COULD START MY AIRPLANE. I TURNED THE C172 INTO THE WIND AND FLIPPED THE MASTER ON; NOTHING. I TRIED FLIPPING IT ON AND OFF ON AND OFF; STILL NOTHING. I THEN REMOVED THE UPPER COWLING ON THE AIRPLANE AND INSPECTED THE BATTERY AND WIRING. EVERYTHING APPEARED TO BE IN ORDER. I THEN WENT BACK IN THE COCKPIT AND ONCE AGAIN TRIED CYCLING THE MASTER ON OFF ON OFF; THIS TIME AT A FASTER RATE. IT TURNED ON. AFTER THIS I PUT THE UPPER COWLING BACK ON AND PUSHED THE AIRPLANE TO THE END OF THE PASTURE. AFTER TALKING TO THE LAND OWNER AND HIM SHOWING ME THE SMOOTHEST GND TO ATTEMPT A TKOF I DECIDED THAT A TKOF WAS PRACTICAL AND SAFE. ONCE GOING THROUGH AN EXTENSIVE PREFLT I GOT IN THE AIRPLANE AND TURNED THE KEY TO START. I THEN CYCLED THE MASTER ON OFF ON OFF JUST LIKE BEFORE. THE ENG STARTED NO PROB. AFTER TAXIING TO THE AREA THE LAND OWNER SAID I COULD TAKE OFF FROM I PERFORMED AN EXTENSIVE RUN-UP AND ELECTRICAL TEST. I DECIDED THAT I WOULD ONLY USE 1 RADIO AND THE XPONDER AND TURN ALL OTHER ELECTRICAL EQUIP OFF. I ACCELERATED THE PWR AND WAS SURPRISED AT HOW SMOOTH THE PASTURE WAS. THE TKOF WAS UNEVENTFUL AS WAS THE LNDG AT MY HOME BASE. WE LATER DETERMINED THAT WE HAD A BAD MASTER SWITCH. I AM JUST THANKFUL THAT NO PROPERTY WAS DAMAGED AND THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT SCRATCHED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.