What happened
Approximately 40 minutes into the flight, while the Cessna (type not specified) was 4 miles south of its destination airport, the aircraft was in a normal descent when the propeller suddenly increased to maximum RPM. Shortly after this increase, the pilot observed the oil pressure light illuminate and noted that the oil pressure gauge indicated zero.
Following the loss of engine power, the pilot performed an emergency landing in a field located approximately 2 miles south of the runway threshold. The aircraft touched down on soft ground, which caused the landing gear to separate from the airframe. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation
A post-accident examination of the engine revealed that no oil remained within the engine. Investigators found that the internal element of the oil filter had collapsed inward and the oil filter converter plate gasket had separated from the plate and broken in half. Additionally, the oil filter bypass valve was found to have been installed improperly.