Narrative:

Flight originated at olive branch airport, olive branch, ms (olv). After normal preflight, run-up and takeoff with no problems noted, flew a local VFR pleasure flight. Only 1 passenger, my daughter, was with me. About 20 mins after takeoff and as we had turned to head home, front engine began to lose power and then quit, though still windmilling. Aircraft altitude was approximately 1600 to 1800 ft MSL. Began immediately to attempt to restart and turned a few more degrees further southwest directly to olv. Checked mixtures rich, propellers full RPM, boost pump on and fuel tank selector on. Engine would not start. Shortly, about 2 to 3 mins later, the rear engine of the cessna 337 skymaster began to lose power. Attempted to restart as before with boost pumps on, had a brief surge (3 to 5 seconds) as if engine was developing good power, then RPM rolled back. Began searching for a place to land and saw 3 prospective good sites. Chose one to my right with few apparent obstacles. The area was rural, punctuated by dense wooded areas and open farm fields. Set up glide at approximately 90 to 100 KTS trying not to accelerate too much in order to conserve altitude. At that time we were below 800 ft MSL with front engine feathered. Rate of descent approximately 300 to 500 FPM. I had considered xfeeding the rear engine from the front engine tank but since I didn't know why the front engine quit, I left it where it was. With the field made, I lowered flaps and slowed to between 80 to 85 KTS, left landing gear in the 'up' position for the off field landing. Touched down in a flare altitude and slid to a stop, sliding approximately 350 ft. My daughter and I had worn our seat belts and shoulder harnesses for the entire flight, we were uninjured as the aircraft remained intact during the landing. As I was securing all switches and controls, my daughter opened the main cabin door and we left the aircraft. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said that the cessna 337 skymaster only had some skin damage and one rear propeller blade was bent. The place that he landed in was a recently harvested cotton field. There were no injuries and the aircraft was lifted back to the airport by a heavy lift helicopter several days later. The FAA found sufficient fuel on board the next day, but a day later someone had siphoned all of the fuel out of the tanks. The reporter said that he had just recently located a replacement propeller and the maintenance facility was only now starting to inspect and repair the aircraft and seek the source of the engine failures. The FAA inspector at the touchdown site said that he thought it was just an incident and released the aircraft for recovery. The reporter said that he has heard nothing more from them.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A GA PLT ON A PLEASURE FLT HAS BOTH ENGS QUIT AND HE MAKES AN OFF ARPT LNDG WITH NO INJURIES AND LITTLE DAMAGE.

Narrative: FLT ORIGINATED AT OLIVE BRANCH ARPT, OLIVE BRANCH, MS (OLV). AFTER NORMAL PREFLT, RUN-UP AND TKOF WITH NO PROBS NOTED, FLEW A LCL VFR PLEASURE FLT. ONLY 1 PAX, MY DAUGHTER, WAS WITH ME. ABOUT 20 MINS AFTER TKOF AND AS WE HAD TURNED TO HEAD HOME, FRONT ENG BEGAN TO LOSE PWR AND THEN QUIT, THOUGH STILL WINDMILLING. ACFT ALT WAS APPROX 1600 TO 1800 FT MSL. BEGAN IMMEDIATELY TO ATTEMPT TO RESTART AND TURNED A FEW MORE DEGS FURTHER SW DIRECTLY TO OLV. CHKED MIXTURES RICH, PROPS FULL RPM, BOOST PUMP ON AND FUEL TANK SELECTOR ON. ENG WOULD NOT START. SHORTLY, ABOUT 2 TO 3 MINS LATER, THE REAR ENG OF THE CESSNA 337 SKYMASTER BEGAN TO LOSE PWR. ATTEMPTED TO RESTART AS BEFORE WITH BOOST PUMPS ON, HAD A BRIEF SURGE (3 TO 5 SECS) AS IF ENG WAS DEVELOPING GOOD PWR, THEN RPM ROLLED BACK. BEGAN SEARCHING FOR A PLACE TO LAND AND SAW 3 PROSPECTIVE GOOD SITES. CHOSE ONE TO MY R WITH FEW APPARENT OBSTACLES. THE AREA WAS RURAL, PUNCTUATED BY DENSE WOODED AREAS AND OPEN FARM FIELDS. SET UP GLIDE AT APPROX 90 TO 100 KTS TRYING NOT TO ACCELERATE TOO MUCH IN ORDER TO CONSERVE ALT. AT THAT TIME WE WERE BELOW 800 FT MSL WITH FRONT ENG FEATHERED. RATE OF DSCNT APPROX 300 TO 500 FPM. I HAD CONSIDERED XFEEDING THE REAR ENG FROM THE FRONT ENG TANK BUT SINCE I DIDN'T KNOW WHY THE FRONT ENG QUIT, I LEFT IT WHERE IT WAS. WITH THE FIELD MADE, I LOWERED FLAPS AND SLOWED TO BETWEEN 80 TO 85 KTS, L LNDG GEAR IN THE 'UP' POS FOR THE OFF FIELD LNDG. TOUCHED DOWN IN A FLARE ALT AND SLID TO A STOP, SLIDING APPROX 350 FT. MY DAUGHTER AND I HAD WORN OUR SEAT BELTS AND SHOULDER HARNESSES FOR THE ENTIRE FLT, WE WERE UNINJURED AS THE ACFT REMAINED INTACT DURING THE LNDG. AS I WAS SECURING ALL SWITCHES AND CTLS, MY DAUGHTER OPENED THE MAIN CABIN DOOR AND WE LEFT THE ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THAT THE CESSNA 337 SKYMASTER ONLY HAD SOME SKIN DAMAGE AND ONE REAR PROP BLADE WAS BENT. THE PLACE THAT HE LANDED IN WAS A RECENTLY HARVESTED COTTON FIELD. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND THE ACFT WAS LIFTED BACK TO THE ARPT BY A HEAVY LIFT HELI SEVERAL DAYS LATER. THE FAA FOUND SUFFICIENT FUEL ON BOARD THE NEXT DAY, BUT A DAY LATER SOMEONE HAD SIPHONED ALL OF THE FUEL OUT OF THE TANKS. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE HAD JUST RECENTLY LOCATED A REPLACEMENT PROP AND THE MAINT FACILITY WAS ONLY NOW STARTING TO INSPECT AND REPAIR THE ACFT AND SEEK THE SOURCE OF THE ENG FAILURES. THE FAA INSPECTOR AT THE TOUCHDOWN SITE SAID THAT HE THOUGHT IT WAS JUST AN INCIDENT AND RELEASED THE ACFT FOR RECOVERY. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE HAS HEARD NOTHING MORE FROM THEM.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.