ENG FAILURE CAUSES ACFT TO LAND IN FIELD.

Narrative

MY MEDICAL HAD EXPIRED IN DEC/XX/92; I WAS OVER 2 YRS PAST MY BI-ANNUAL FLT REVIEW AND WAS NOT LEGALLY CURRENT ON INSTRUMENTS. I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN UNDER MY PARTNERS NAME. THE FLT PROCEEDED NORMALLY FOR 3 HRS WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY IN MY INTERCOM WENT DEAD. I DISCONNECTED THE INTERCOM AND WAS HOOKING UP MY BACK-UP MIKE WHEN THE ENG FAILED. ATC HAD CLRED ME FOR THE LOC APCH. I SLOWED TO 70 MPH TO EXTEND THE GLIDE - I WAS A 6200 FT. WHILE HOOKING UP THE HEAD-SET AND HAND MIKE; INTERCEPTING THE LOC; AND EXTENDING MY GLIDE - I MISSED THE ADF SWING. I BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS ABOUT 500 FT ABOVE THE MOUNTAINS. I COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALT (LOSING ABOUT 100 FPM) I WENT TO THE N OF THE MOUNTAIN RIDGE HOPING TO FIND THE ARPT. I CONTACT CTR AND ADVISED THEM OF MY PROB. I FLEW ABOUT 15 MINS DOWN THIS VALLEY AND DECIDED THAT I HAD MISSED THE ARPT. I TURNED AROUND AND FLEW BACK. (BELOW THE MOUNTAIN RIDGE - NO LOC OR NDB RECEIVED) I WAS LOOKING FOR A SPOT TO LAND NOT TOO FAR AWAY FROM A HOUSE OR SOMETHING TO CALL FROM. I PULLED BACK THE THROTTLE WHEN I HAD DECIDED TO LAND - THE ENG STOPPED IMMEDIATELY. AT THE LAST SECOND I SAW A PWR LINE AND DIVED UNDER IT (THE LINE RUBBED THE TOP OF THE L WING. BROKE THE ADF SENSE ANTENNA AND 1 SIDE OF THE LIGHT BROKE OFF). I LANDED THE PLANE WITH NO OTHER DAMAGE. CALLED CTR AND TOLD THEM I WAS OK. THE ENG PROB WAS FROM A 4 INCH HOLD BLOWN OUT OF THE CTR CYLINDER ON THE R SIDE OF THE ENG. MY LACK OF A CURRENT MEDICAL OR BFR HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS PROB. THE PLANE WAS WITHIN ANNUAL INSPECTION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR WAS CALLED TO VERIFY DAMAGE TO ACFT WHEN THE ENG FAILED. ALTHOUGH HE STATES THAT THE ENG FAILED; IT DID RUN PRODUCING PARTIAL PWR. HE STATED THAT AFTER 15-20 MINS AT PARTIAL PWR WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO REDUCE PWR FOR DSCNT; THE ENG QUIT ENTIRELY. AT THAT TIME HE SELECTED HIS LNDG SPOT; USING BEST GLIDE SPD; HE SET UP FINAL FOR THAT SPOT. AS HE DSNDED LOWER; HE THEN VISUALLY ACQUIRED SOME PWR LINES WHICH CAUSED HIM TO DIVE BENEATH THE LINES; TO AVOID ANY ENTANGLEMENT. IN THE PROCESS THE PWR LINES DID CATCH 2 OF HIS ANTENNAS AND PULL THEM OFF. HIS LNDG WAS OTHERWISE SUCCESSFUL WITH NO OTHER DAMAGE. THE ENG LOST PWR INITIALLY BECAUSE #2 CYLINDER HEAD CAME OFF. THE ACFT WAS A CESSNA 172.