PLT OF A SMA SEL MOONEY ACFT MADE AN EMER FORCED LNDG OFF THE ARPT WHEN THE ENG BEGAN A BAD VIBRATION THAT CAUSED THE ENG TO BE REDUCED TO IDLE PWR. THE ACFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES.

Narrative

DEPARTED CLARKSDALE; MS; MAR/XX/94 FOR HAWKINS FIELD; JACKSON; MS; APPROX 15 MI N OF JACKSON. ENG STARTED A SLIGHT VIBRATION -- SEVERAL MIN LATER THE VIBRATION INCREASED TO THE PT THAT I REDUCED PWR TO CTL THE VIBRATIONS. WITH REDUCED PWR; WE COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALT. I LOOKED FOR A FIELD TO LAND -- SPOTTED A SUITABLE GRASS FIELD AND PROCEEDED TO LAND -- DID NOT LOWER GEAR OR FLAPS UNTIL OVER END OF FIELD. WHEN CERTAIN I HAD FIELD MADE; I LOWERED GEAR -- GEAR IS LOWERED BY SNAPPING A LONG GEAR HANDLE UP AND IN PLACE. THIS I DID; HOWEVER; GEAR DID NOT LOCK DOWN. WE LANDED ON GEAR. HOWEVER; GEAR FOLDED AFTER TOUCH DOWN. SLIGHT DAMAGE TO UNDERSIDE OF ACFT AND DAMAGE TO PROP. ENG HAD BLOWN AND WAS ABOUT TO SEIZE. NO ONE INJURED -- ACFT WAS SCHEDULED FOR ANNUAL IN ONE MONTH. I SHOULD HAVE MADE SURE GEAR WAS LOCKED DOWN; HOWEVER; WE LANDED AS SOON AS GEAR WAS LOWERED AND I WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THAT GEAR WAS NOT LOCKED DOWN IN THIS SHORT SPAN OF TIME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE ENG MALFUNCTION WAS CAUSED BY A 'BLOWN JUG.' IT WAS AN EARLY MODEL MOONEY 2I AND HAD LOTS OF TIME ON THE ENG. HE FURTHER STATED THAT HE REALLY DID NOT HAVE TIME TO ASSURE THAT THE GEAR WAS IN THE LOCKED DOWN POS; SINCE WHEN HE CAME OVER THE TREES AT THE APCH END OF THE FIELD HE LOWERED THE GEAR AND TOUCHED DOWN WITHIN A FEW SECONDS.