Engine Failure
While in cruise flight, the engine emitted a loud sound, followed by a partial loss of power. Shortly thereafter, smoke entered the cockpit, and the engine lost all power.
Forced Landing
The pilot initiated a forced landing to a county road. During the landing roll, the left wing collided with a power pole. The airplane spun around, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane subsequently nosed over.
Post-Accident Inspection
During an inspection of the engine, a large hole was found in the crankcase between the number 1 and 2 cylinders. The number 1 connecting rod bearing journal was deeply scored, blue in color, and dry. Portions of the number 1 main bearing insert were visible between the number 1 crank cheek and the number 1 main bearing saddle. The number 1 and 2 crank cheeks were blue in color and dry. The number 1 connecting rod was in pieces. The connecting rod cap had a portion of one bolt still present; the fracture area was necked down and blue. A matching bolt portion with the nut attached was recovered, with the fracture area also necked down. The pilot reported that the maintenance logbooks had been destroyed in a hangar fire. The pilot additionally stated that the aircraft had not been maintained in accordance with an annual inspection for some time, as it had not been flown since around 1997, when the engine received a top overhaul.