What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
While enroute from corona CA. To porterville CA. The occupants of the aircraft first experienced a loss of power followed by smoke coming into the cockpit. The smoke had an oil smell to it. The pilot declared an emergency and asked for vectors to the nearest airport. Air traffic control vectored the pilot towards a private airstrip south southwest of the city of Arvin, CA. The pilot could not locate the airstrip and made the decision to land in a field located just south of the city of Arvin. The pilot maneuvered for landing on the field to land on a north easterly direction. The pilot realized the field had large furrows once he was committed to the field and was not able to change landing direction. Upon touchdown the pilot held aft pressure for as long as possible while the aircraft skipped from burm crest to burm crest. When there was no longer enough aerodynamic force to hold the nose wheel aloft the nose gear struck the ground and separated from the aircraft. The aircraft then did a low speed sommersault coming to rest on its roof. Preliminary investigaiton of the engine shows catastrophic engine failure with a large hole in the top of the engine case where a connecting rod separated.
As the FAA filed it
WHILE ENROUTE FROM CORONA CA. TO PORTERVILLE CA. THE OCCUPANTS OF THE AIRCRAFT FIRST EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER FOLLOWED BY SMOKE COMING INTO THE COCKPIT. THE SMOKE HAD AN OIL SMELL TO IT. THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND ASKED FOR VECTORS TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL VECTORED THE PILOT TOWARDS A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF THE CITY OF ARVIN, CA. THE PILOT COULD NOT LOCATE THE AIRSTRIP AND MADE THE DECISION TO LAND IN A FIELD LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF THE CITY OF ARVIN. THE PILOT MANEUVERED FOR LANDING ON THE FIELD TO LAND ON A NORTH EASTERLY DIRECTION. THE PILOT REALIZED THE FIELD HAD LARGE FURROWS ONCE HE WAS COMMITTED TO THE FIELD AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CHANGE LANDING DIRECTION. UPON TOUCHDOWN THE PILOT HELD AFT PRESSURE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE WHILE THE AIRCRAFT SKIPPED FROM BURM CREST TO BURM CREST. WHEN THERE WAS NO LONGER ENOUGH AERODYNAMIC FORCE TO HOLD THE NOSE WHEEL ALOFT THE NOSE GEAR STRUCK THE GROUND AND SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN DID A LOW SPEED SOMMERSAULT COMING TO REST ON ITS ROOF. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGAITON OF THE ENGINE SHOWS CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WITH A LARGE HOLE IN THE TOP OF THE ENGINE CASE WHERE A CONNECTING ROD SEPARATED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.