Incident
During a flight, the pilot reported that the engine began to run rough and lose power. He immediately turned toward the nearest airport and reduced airspeed to 100 knots. He pushed the mixture to full rich, which resulted in a brief power burst of a few seconds. After pumping the throttle and applying carburetor heat, he determined he did not have sufficient altitude to reach the airport and began searching for an alternate landing site.
Landing and Damage
Identifying a ridge top field, the pilot slowed the airplane to 75 knots, extended one notch of flaps, and trimmed for landing. While aligning with the field at approximately 300 feet above ground, he selected full flaps. The touchdown was smooth, and the airplane continued its landing roll through wheat approximately 3 feet tall. During the roll, the right wing collided with an industrial irrigation nozzle, resulting in the right wing separating from the fuselage. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and stabilator.
Post-accident Findings
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He noted that during the engine failure, he did not attempt to switch fuel tanks from the empty right wing fuel tank, and he recommended making the fuel selector check the first step of the restart procedure.
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane on scene was able to run the engine. The left fuel tank was approximately half full of fuel. After switching the fuel selector to the left tank, the engine started normally. Oil pressure was within limits, fuel pressure was normal on both the electric and engine-driven pumps, and the magnetos functioned properly.