20141010017619A

On 10/10/2014, the PIC and his son decided to take an early flight staying in the local area of Bend Oregon for practice manuevers. Morning tv, the weather channel and Bend AWOS were used for weather. All weather was consistent, clear with light winds. The pilot planned a short flight. Pilot reported that he departed with 14 gallons on left (pilot) side and 13 gallons on right side. The plane is stored in B-3 hangar at bdn. According to the pilot the engine was started at about 0700, the pilot then taxied to the run-up area for runway 16 where he allowed the engine to raise in temp and then did his run-up. The carb mixture was adjusted, engine was at 2,000 RPM, carb heat showed a drop of 25 RPM or less, when he checked the electronic ignition it showed another slight drop of 25 RPM or less and then the pilot checked the magneto which showed a drop of 25-35 RPM. The pilot reported he then departed bdn on runway 16 and made radio calls, then headed east for maneuvers, he left runway with the fuel selector on the left (pilot side) tank. The engine climbed well to 6,000 feet, the pilot reduced power from 2,500 to 2,400 rpms. At this point the pilot had been in the air for 4-5 minutes and shortly thereafter the engine began to shake and roll, pop and backfire, engine RPM level dropped to about 1,800 RPM. The pilot made an immediate 180 degree turn, heading back towards the airport, the pilot turned on carb heat, richened the mixture and turned on the electronic fuel pump as well as changing the fuel tanks. The pilot kept trying to make different changes, trying different combinations (ie, switching tanks with or without carb heat) in an effort to get the engine back running smoothly with full power. It seemed with altitude and 1,800 RPM he could make it to the airport so he proceeded but as the next couple of minutes went by he had less and less power and he had to deal with not making it to the airport. The RPM level eventually dropped to 1,200 or 1,300 RPM which was insufficient to maintain altitude. All roads that he observed while trying to get the engine going stronger had power lines and the pilot had a forested terrain to deal with. The pilot ended up possibly 1/2 mile short of the airport (in air distance, not roads). Neighbors reported to the news that they heard the engine sputtering and popping. The pilot ended up on a small acreage impacting 2 trees, losing the entire right wing, damaged the left wing tip. The fuselage, empennage, all landing gear broke free from mounts, the prop was damaged by impact with rocks and engine cowling was crushed and schreded. The pilot exited the plane immediately with head and hand injuries not requiring hospitalization. The land owners contacted 911 at approximately 0725.