What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
-Pilot reported normal engine performance on departure from norfolk, NE (norfolk regional airport ofk).
-Pilot reported engine was running smoothly at cruise altitude. Pilot heard a bang and the engine began to run rough. Pilot reported cowling appeared to have parts hitting it from inside.
-Pilot determined engine was undergoing failure and attempted to divert to Columbus, NE (Columbus regional airport olu).
-At approximately 3,000 feet, while enroute to Columbus, the pilot determined he was not going to make it to the Columbus airport.
-Pilot deployed the Cirrus airframe parachute sytem (caps) and the aircraft came to rest upright in a dirt farm field approximately 5 miles north/northwest of the Columbus airport.
-Ground winds drug the parachute and aircraft approximately 100 feet east of the intial impact point.
-LH main and nose landing gear components were located within the post impact drag area. The RH main landing gear leg was collapsed underneath the RH wing. RH landing gear exibited signs of collapse consistent with aircraft being drug toward the east after impact.
-Two propeller blades were bent from impact with ground. Propeller blade damage appeared to occur when the nose and LH main landing gear were torn from aircraft while being drug across the ground. The third blade was vertical from center hub and exhibited no damage.
-Fresh engine oil was observed at engine cowling oil service access door. The oil exhibited evidence of airstream flow aft.
-Removed engine upper cowl. Observed fresh engine oil laying on top of cylinder cooling shroud.
-Observed crankcase (block) damage near cylinders 3 and 6. The damage consisted of missing material (hole) approximately 5 inches in diameter which exposed the engine crankshaft and journal missing a connecting rod. The crankshaft journal exhibited mechanical damage due to catastrophic failure forces.
-A broken connecting rod was laying on top of the engine near the hole. The connecting rod was bent and missing the rod cap and attaching bolts. The connecting rod piston pin hole was elongated and severely damaged.
-The piston pin was retrieved from inside the hole. The piston pin exhibited mechanical damage as a result of catastophic failure.
-Failure appeared to occur in the number 6 cylinder.
-The lower cowling area had fresh engine oil residue with metal particles throughout.
-Each magneto was obeserved detached from accessory drive as a result of catastophic engine failure. The accessory drive case magneto mounting flanges exhibited mechanical damage due to forced detachment.
-A drive gear was found on top of the engine crackcase which may have been a magneto drive.
As the FAA filed it
-PILOT REPORTED NORMAL ENGINE PERFORMANCE ON DEPARTURE FROM NORFOLK, NE (NORFOLK REGIONAL AIRPORT OFK).
-PILOT REPORTED ENGINE WAS RUNNING SMOOTHLY AT CRUISE ALTITUDE. PILOT HEARD A BANG AND THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. PILOT REPORTED COWLING APPEARED TO HAVE PARTS HITTING IT FROM INSIDE.
-PILOT DETERMINED ENGINE WAS UNDERGOING FAILURE AND ATTEMPTED TO DIVERT TO COLUMBUS, NE (COLUMBUS REGIONAL AIRPORT OLU).
-AT APPROXIMATELY 3,000 FEET, WHILE ENROUTE TO COLUMBUS, THE PILOT DETERMINED HE WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE IT TO THE COLUMBUS AIRPORT.
-PILOT DEPLOYED THE CIRRUS AIRFRAME PARACHUTE SYTEM (CAPS) AND THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST UPRIGHT IN A DIRT FARM FIELD APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES NORTH/NORTHWEST OF THE COLUMBUS AIRPORT.
-GROUND WINDS DRUG THE PARACHUTE AND AIRCRAFT APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET EAST OF THE INTIAL IMPACT POINT.
-LH MAIN AND NOSE LANDING GEAR COMPONENTS WERE LOCATED WITHIN THE POST IMPACT DRAG AREA. THE RH MAIN LANDING GEAR LEG WAS COLLAPSED UNDERNEATH THE RH WING. RH LANDING GEAR EXIBITED SIGNS OF COLLAPSE CONSISTENT WITH AIRCRAFT BEING DRUG TOWARD THE EAST AFTER IMPACT.
-TWO PROPELLER BLADES WERE BENT FROM IMPACT WITH GROUND. PROPELLER BLADE DAMAGE APPEARED TO OCCUR WHEN THE NOSE AND LH MAIN LANDING GEAR WERE TORN FROM AIRCRAFT WHILE BEING DRUG ACROSS THE GROUND. THE THIRD BLADE WAS VERTICAL FROM CENTER HUB AND EXHIBITED NO DAMAGE.
-FRESH ENGINE OIL WAS OBSERVED AT ENGINE COWLING OIL SERVICE ACCESS DOOR. THE OIL EXHIBITED EVIDENCE OF AIRSTREAM FLOW AFT.
-REMOVED ENGINE UPPER COWL. OBSERVED FRESH ENGINE OIL LAYING ON TOP OF CYLINDER COOLING SHROUD.
-OBSERVED CRANKCASE (BLOCK) DAMAGE NEAR CYLINDERS 3 AND 6. THE DAMAGE CONSISTED OF MISSING MATERIAL (HOLE) APPROXIMATELY 5 INCHES IN DIAMETER WHICH EXPOSED THE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT AND JOURNAL MISSING A CONNECTING ROD. THE CRANKSHAFT JOURNAL EXHIBITED MECHANICAL DAMAGE DUE TO CATASTROPHIC FAILURE FORCES.
-A BROKEN CONNECTING ROD WAS LAYING ON TOP OF THE ENGINE NEAR THE HOLE. THE CONNECTING ROD WAS BENT AND MISSING THE ROD CAP AND ATTACHING BOLTS. THE CONNECTING ROD PISTON PIN HOLE WAS ELONGATED AND SEVERELY DAMAGED.
-THE PISTON PIN WAS RETRIEVED FROM INSIDE THE HOLE. THE PISTON PIN EXHIBITED MECHANICAL DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF CATASTOPHIC FAILURE.
-FAILURE APPEARED TO OCCUR IN THE NUMBER 6 CYLINDER.
-THE LOWER COWLING AREA HAD FRESH ENGINE OIL RESIDUE WITH METAL PARTICLES THROUGHOUT.
-EACH MAGNETO WAS OBESERVED DETACHED FROM ACCESSORY DRIVE AS A RESULT OF CATASTOPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. THE ACCESSORY DRIVE CASE MAGNETO MOUNTING FLANGES EXHIBITED MECHANICAL DAMAGE DUE TO FORCED DETACHMENT.
-A DRIVE GEAR WAS FOUND ON TOP OF THE ENGINE CRACKCASE WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN A MAGNETO DRIVE.