What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Lst power enroute. Landed in a field. Right main gear collapsed. Damaged r ight wing. (.4) while in cruise flight, the airplane engine's #2 cylinder connecting rod suffered a fracture. This resulted in the #2 piston becoming jammed in the cylinder and bending of the #2 cylinder intake valve pushrod. These events resulted in partial loss of engine power and a forced reduction in power setting. The pilot performed an emergency landing whereon the landing roll, the airplane skidded and turned in efforts to avoid a collision with a tree/fence row. The turn resulted in a collapse of the right main landing gar and right wing collision with the terrain. The landing gear broke off the aircraft, punctured the right main fuel cell, broke the main right wing wood spar and bent the right fuselage stringers. The outboard 36' of main right wing was severed from the airframe. (-23) aircraft enroute vfr/day (no flight plan, altitude 1000') from peachtree/alt, ga (1445L/EST departure) for corpus christi, TX with scheduled stop at galveston, TX. Two hrs into flight over millery, AL aircraft experienced loss of power and vibration. Pilot (howard richard holt, cert # 1777548) made emergency gear down landing in pasture adjacent to millpond road approximately 3.5 miles north west of Millry. Aircraft impacted the ground in a yaw to the left and skidded 300-320 yards. 100 yards from final resting point rt wing impacted the ground resulting in the loss of 36" of wing tip. Pilot attempted to turn the aircraft to the left to avoid tree/fence row resulting in collapse of the rt main landing gear. Aircraft had approximately 50 gal fuel distributed equally between main and aux tanks. Examination of aircraft revealed #2 cylinder connecting rod broken, piston jammed in cylinder and intake vale pushrod bent. Rt main gear broke off a/c, punctured the rt main fuel cell, damaged the main wing spar and rt fuselage structure.
As the FAA filed it
LST POWER ENROUTE. LANDED IN A FIELD. RIGHT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED. DAMAGED R IGHT WING. (.4) WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE ENGINE'S #2 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD SUFFERED A FRACTURE. THIS RESULTED IN THE #2 PISTON BECOMING JAMMED IN THE CYLINDER AND BENDING OF THE #2 CYLINDER INTAKE VALVE PUSHROD. THESE EVENTS RESULTED IN PARTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND A FORCED REDUCTION IN POWER SETTING. THE PILOT PERFORMED AN EMERGENCY LANDING WHEREON THE LANDING ROLL, THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED AND TURNED IN EFFORTS TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH A TREE/FENCE ROW. THE TURN RESULTED IN A COLLAPSE OF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GAR AND RIGHT WING COLLISION WITH THE TERRAIN. THE LANDING GEAR BROKE OFF THE AIRCRAFT, PUNCTURED THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL CELL, BROKE THE MAIN RIGHT WING WOOD SPAR AND BENT THE RIGHT FUSELAGE STRINGERS. THE OUTBOARD 36' OF MAIN RIGHT WING WAS SEVERED FROM THE AIRFRAME. (-23) AIRCRAFT ENROUTE VFR/DAY (NO FLIGHT PLAN, ALTITUDE 1000') FROM PEACHTREE/ALT, GA (1445L/EST DEPARTURE) FOR CORPUS CHRISTI, TX WITH SCHEDULED STOP AT GALVESTON, TX. TWO HRS INTO FLIGHT OVER MILLERY, AL AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED LOSS OF POWER AND VIBRATION. PILOT (HOWARD RICHARD HOLT, CERT # 1777548) MADE EMERGENCY GEAR DOWN LANDING IN PASTURE ADJACENT TO MILLPOND ROAD APPROXIMATELY 3.5 MILES NORTH WEST OF MILLRY. AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A YAW TO THE LEFT AND SKIDDED 300-320 YARDS. 100 YARDS FROM FINAL RESTING POINT RT WING IMPACTED THE GROUND RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF 36" OF WING TIP. PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE AIRCRAFT TO THE LEFT TO AVOID TREE/FENCE ROW RESULTING IN COLLAPSE OF THE RT MAIN LANDING GEAR. AIRCRAFT HAD APPROXIMATELY 50 GAL FUEL DISTRIBUTED EQUALLY BETWEEN MAIN AND AUX TANKS. EXAMINATION OF AIRCRAFT REVEALED #2 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD BROKEN, PISTON JAMMED IN CYLINDER AND INTAKE VALE PUSHROD BENT. RT MAIN GEAR BROKE OFF A/C, PUNCTURED THE RT MAIN FUEL CELL, DAMAGED THE MAIN WING SPAR AND RT FUSELAGE STRUCTURE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.