PAX IN EXPERIMENTAL BIPLANE RPT REGARDING ENG QUITTING AND RESULTING IN OFF ARPT LNDG. WIND BLEW THEM OFF COURSE SO THEY COULD NOT MAKE THE RWY.

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I AM FILING THIS FORM BECAUSE THE FOLLOWING WILL PROBABLY BE CONSIDERED AN INCIDENT AS PER THE LCL FSDO AFTER THE PLT SPOKE WITH THEM AFTER THE INCIDENT. ON SEP/XA/97 I WAS FLYING A PAX ON A FLT FROM T82 TO PEQ. THE FLT WAS TO LAST 2 HRS AND 15 MINS. WE ARRIVED OVERHEAD PEQ AT ABOUT 2 HRS AND 4 MINS OF FLT TIME. AS WE ARRIVED OVERHEAD THE DEST ARPT; THE AIRPLANE'S ENG QUIT. WE WERE ABOUT 1000 FT AGL AND DECIDED TO DEAD STICK THE AIRPLANE ONTO 1 OF THE 2 RWYS ON THE AIRFIELD. AS WE APCHED THE AIRFIELD (BEFORE THE ENG QUIT) WE MADE SEVERAL CALLS TO THE UNICOM; BUT RECEIVED NO ANSWER. THEREFORE WE DID NOT KNOW THE ACTIVE RWY; BUT DID HAVE A GOOD IDEA WHERE THE WIND WAS COMING FROM; SO WE DECIDED TO LAND WITH A SLIGHT XWIND AND HEADWIND AS OPPOSED TO LNDG WITH A TAILWIND. THERE WAS A CROPDUSTER ON OUR DESIRED RWY; BUT WE WERE COMMITTED TO THAT RWY DUE TO THE WINDS AND OUR QUICKLY DECREASING ALT. THE PLT DECIDED TO USE THAT RWY; BUT DUE TO THE CROPDUSTER BEING ON THE ACTIVE RWY; HE HAD TO FLY DOWNWIND A BIT IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE AIRPLANE HAD AMPLE RWY TO LAND. BEING AN EXPERIMENTAL BIPLANE WITH A HIGH COMPRESSION ENG; AND HAVING A WINDMILLING ENG MOST OF THE DSCNT; THE ACFT HAD A VERY LARGE SINK RATE. ALSO; IN THE TURN FROM DOWNWIND TO FINAL THE AIRPLANE APPEARED TO HIT A 'SINK' HOLE. THE PLANE ALSO LOST LIFT DUE TO THE 30 DEG ANGLE OF BANK TURN REQUIRED TO RETURN TO THE RWY HDG. ONCE THROUGH 135 DEGS OF TURN IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT WE WERE NOT GOING TO MAKE THE RWY AND THE PROP STOPPED TURNING. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN BLOWN SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE TURN AND WE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH ALT TO COMPLETE THE TURN BACK TO RWY HDG. THE RESULT WAS AN OFF-FIELD LNDG ALMOST PARALLEL TO ONE OF THE RWYS. THE AIRPLANE HAD A VERY SOFT LNDG AND THE ROLLOUT LOOKED PROMISING. AS THE PLANE SLOWED; IT HIT 2 6-12 INCH DIRT BERMS IN THE FIELD. THOSE 2 BERMS COLLAPSED THE GEAR ONE AT A TIME. THE AIRPLANE THEN SLOWED TO A HALT AT THE EDGE OF THE INTERSECTING RWY. NEITHER OF US ON BOARD WERE INJURED; BUT THE AIRPLANE WILL NEED NEW LNDG GEAR AND LOWER AND LEADING EDGE WING WORK DUE TO THE GEAR COLLAPSE. THE SPAR DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE DAMAGED. ALSO THE (STOPPED) WOODEN PROP WAS NICKED AS IT TOUCHED THE GND. THE AIRPLANE HAD A LARGE INCREASE IN DRAG ONCE THE GEAR COLLAPSED WHICH CAUSED THE AIRPLANE TO NOSE OVER; ALLOWING THE PROP TO STRIKE THE EDGE OF THE PAVEMENT AND WE SLID TOWARD THE EDGE OF THE INTERSECTING RWY. DURING THE WHOLE INCIDENT; THE ELT NEVER WENT OFF DUE TO THE SOFT LNDG BY THE PLT AND THE GEAR COLLAPSING. THE CAUSE OF THE ENG FAILURE IS NOT KNOWN YET. HE HAD FLT PLANNED THE 247.3 NM RTE VIA GPS AT 10 GPH (PREVIOUS OWNER SAYS IT BURNS 9 GPH) AND 110 KTS. THAT IS A TOTAL TIME OF 2 HRS 15 MINS AND 22.5 GALLONS. WE DID THE FLT AT ABOUT 114 KTS (TAILWIND COMPONENT) THE ENTIRE TRIP AND ARRIVED SHORTLY AFTER 2 HRS 2 MINS WHEN THE ENG STOPPED WITHIN 1/2 MI FROM THE ARPT AND SHOULD HAVE BURNED ONLY 21.7 GALLONS. THE TANK HOLDS 27 GALLONS AND WAS FILLED UP ALL THE WAY MOMENTS BEFORE THE FLT TOOK OFF FROM T82. (IT HAD MORE LIKE 27.5 GALLONS.) ALSO; THE PLANE HAD JUST FLOWN A FLT FROM EFD WITH A TOTAL FLT TIME OF 2 HRS AND IT WAS DONE AT THE SAME ALT. THE PLANE HAD LANDED AND HAD PLENTY OF GAS PRIOR TO REFUELING AT T82. WHEN THE PRIOR FLT LEFT EFD IT HAD 25 GALLONS. BOTH FLTS WERE AT THE SAME ALT; SO THE FUEL BURN SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THAT DIFFERENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE ACFT HAS BEEN TRUCKED BACK TO CALIFORNIA SO THE OWNER CAN OVERSEE THE REPAIRS. THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAS DRAGGED ITS FEET AND WILL NOT APPROVE ANY WORK AT THIS TIME. CONSEQUENTLY; THERE IS NO KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT PROB ACTUALLY OCCURRED. THE GENERAL SPECULATION IS THAT IT MIGHT BE A CARB PROB OR FUEL LEAKAGE. THE LACK OF FUEL MADE NO SENSE AS THE PREVIOUS LEG OF THE TRIP HAD BEEN ABOUT THE SAME DISTANCE AND THERE WAS ADEQUATE FUEL REMAINING.