Narrative:

Approximately 20 mins into the flight from the departure point of susanville, ca, en route to sacramento, ca, I noticed small droplets of a clear fluid on the windshield. At first glance I thought it was condensation, but moments later I determined it was engine oil. I assumed it was the propeller seal, as I had this type of incident occur in the past in a C172XP which also had a constant speed propeller. I told mr a to not panic unless you see dark droplets of oil. Mr a correctly suggested that we contact ZOA, about 10 mins into our flight, which we had used on our previous leg to susanville. ZOA told us to standby for traffic reasons. Approximately 2 mins later, dark droplets of oil began hitting the windshield. The windshield became dark and murky severely limiting the forward visibility from inside the aircraft. Once the dark droplets of oil hit the windshield, I reset the LORAN for gasner (201) airport near quincy, ca. Upon changing course heading to approximately 262 degrees at approximately 20 mi east of gasner, we advised oakland that we were making a precautionary landing at quincy due to the loss of engine oil. I noted that the oil pressure was at the low end of the green arc but was maintaining pressure. Approximately 1-3 mins later oil began spewing at a faster rate on the windshield. At this point it was time to make a decision on finding appropriate emergency landing sites. I closely monitored the oil pressure and saw that it was decreasing and out of the green arc within the span of 1 min. Approximately 20-30 seconds later, I could hear the engine pinging due to lack of engine oil. I picked an open pasture that appeared to be approximately 3000 ft in flat length, green in color, knee high in grass, with about 100 head of cattle to the south end. The engine continued to run rough for approximately 30 seconds to 1 min before it seized. The engine seizure was abrupt to the point that a torque movement along that longitudinal axis of the aircraft was felt. I pulled the propeller control out fully to see if it would make a difference in drag. No difference noted: mr a began transmitting our location to ZOA and told our 2 passenger, mr B and mr C, to tighten up the seat belts because we were making a forced landing. After the engine seized, I established a glide between 85-95 KIAS. I continued flight descending in orbits to the left viewing mostly through the left front side window and scanning terrain occasionally to my right. I performed a high observation of the pasture for wires noting a sawmill to the west and high tension wires to the east of the pasture. I estimated the field elevation to be approximately 3000 ft MSL giving us about 4000 ft or 4-360 degree turns remaining. I knew the winds were relatively calm and planned an approach to the east leaving me the opportunity to fly under the high tension lines if I were to overshoot my intended landing spot. After the third orbit and on my intended downwind leg, I announced to all to crack open the doors. My purpose for that was so that a faster exit from the cabin could be made if I were to nose the aircraft over. I performed a low reconnaissance and determined that the field selected for landing would be appropriate and very survivable for lndgs. On base leg, I saw that I was a little low and that I was going to cross my extended runway centerline so I made a steeper bank which elicited an intermittent stall warning horn indicating an imminent stall. I lowered the nose and saw a tall pine tree in my 2 O'clock position on rollout. I made a quick turn to the left and corrected to my right. I then saw low power/telephone lines approaching by scanning right and left and increased back pressure on the control wheel slowing the aircraft to approximately 60 KTS. We cleared the lines and continued descent to below 50 ft AGL. I called for full flaps from the zero flap setting and noticed that there was no reaction from the switch movement by mr a. I began increasing back pressure to stabilize the rate of descent landing on the main wheels at zero flaps, I maintained back pressure as per soft field technique trying to alleviate the weight on the nosewheel. Approximately 1000 ft later on a hard and rutted field, brakes were applied to a full stop. Master switch was left on, fuel selector switched off and everyone quickly exited the aircraft. After the high fives and hugs, we noticed the propeller and flange were missing. Other than the slight cosmetic damage to the front of the engine cowling and broken wheel pants on the main wheels, the cessna single looked like a turbo fan conversion. Problem: appears to be mechanical. Unable to detect on preflight of aircraft. Oil full (12 quarts) on departure from susanville.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C206 ACFT LOST OIL AND ENG SEIZED. RPTR PLT HAD TO MAKE FORCED LNDG IN FIELD.

Narrative: APPROX 20 MINS INTO THE FLT FROM THE DEP POINT OF SUSANVILLE, CA, ENRTE TO SACRAMENTO, CA, I NOTICED SMALL DROPLETS OF A CLR FLUID ON THE WINDSHIELD. AT FIRST GLANCE I THOUGHT IT WAS CONDENSATION, BUT MOMENTS LATER I DETERMINED IT WAS ENG OIL. I ASSUMED IT WAS THE PROP SEAL, AS I HAD THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT OCCUR IN THE PAST IN A C172XP WHICH ALSO HAD A CONSTANT SPD PROP. I TOLD MR A TO NOT PANIC UNLESS YOU SEE DARK DROPLETS OF OIL. MR A CORRECTLY SUGGESTED THAT WE CONTACT ZOA, ABOUT 10 MINS INTO OUR FLT, WHICH WE HAD USED ON OUR PREVIOUS LEG TO SUSANVILLE. ZOA TOLD US TO STANDBY FOR TFC REASONS. APPROX 2 MINS LATER, DARK DROPLETS OF OIL BEGAN HITTING THE WINDSHIELD. THE WINDSHIELD BECAME DARK AND MURKY SEVERELY LIMITING THE FORWARD VISIBILITY FROM INSIDE THE ACFT. ONCE THE DARK DROPLETS OF OIL HIT THE WINDSHIELD, I RESET THE LORAN FOR GASNER (201) ARPT NEAR QUINCY, CA. UPON CHANGING COURSE HEADING TO APPROX 262 DEGS AT APPROX 20 MI E OF GASNER, WE ADVISED OAKLAND THAT WE WERE MAKING A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG AT QUINCY DUE TO THE LOSS OF ENG OIL. I NOTED THAT THE OIL PRESSURE WAS AT THE LOW END OF THE GREEN ARC BUT WAS MAINTAINING PRESSURE. APPROX 1-3 MINS LATER OIL BEGAN SPEWING AT A FASTER RATE ON THE WINDSHIELD. AT THIS POINT IT WAS TIME TO MAKE A DECISION ON FINDING APPROPRIATE EMER LNDG SITES. I CLOSELY MONITORED THE OIL PRESSURE AND SAW THAT IT WAS DECREASING AND OUT OF THE GREEN ARC WITHIN THE SPAN OF 1 MIN. APPROX 20-30 SECONDS LATER, I COULD HEAR THE ENG PINGING DUE TO LACK OF ENG OIL. I PICKED AN OPEN PASTURE THAT APPEARED TO BE APPROX 3000 FT IN FLAT LENGTH, GREEN IN COLOR, KNEE HIGH IN GRASS, WITH ABOUT 100 HEAD OF CATTLE TO THE S END. THE ENG CONTINUED TO RUN ROUGH FOR APPROX 30 SECONDS TO 1 MIN BEFORE IT SEIZED. THE ENG SEIZURE WAS ABRUPT TO THE POINT THAT A TORQUE MOVEMENT ALONG THAT LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE ACFT WAS FELT. I PULLED THE PROP CTL OUT FULLY TO SEE IF IT WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN DRAG. NO DIFFERENCE NOTED: MR A BEGAN XMITTING OUR LOCATION TO ZOA AND TOLD OUR 2 PAX, MR B AND MR C, TO TIGHTEN UP THE SEAT BELTS BECAUSE WE WERE MAKING A FORCED LNDG. AFTER THE ENG SEIZED, I ESTABLISHED A GLIDE BTWN 85-95 KIAS. I CONTINUED FLT DSNDING IN ORBITS TO THE L VIEWING MOSTLY THROUGH THE L FRONT SIDE WINDOW AND SCANNING TERRAIN OCCASIONALLY TO MY R. I PERFORMED A HIGH OBSERVATION OF THE PASTURE FOR WIRES NOTING A SAWMILL TO THE W AND HIGH TENSION WIRES TO THE E OF THE PASTURE. I ESTIMATED THE FIELD ELEVATION TO BE APPROX 3000 FT MSL GIVING US ABOUT 4000 FT OR 4-360 DEG TURNS REMAINING. I KNEW THE WINDS WERE RELATIVELY CALM AND PLANNED AN APCH TO THE E LEAVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO FLY UNDER THE HIGH TENSION LINES IF I WERE TO OVERSHOOT MY INTENDED LNDG SPOT. AFTER THE THIRD ORBIT AND ON MY INTENDED DOWNWIND LEG, I ANNOUNCED TO ALL TO CRACK OPEN THE DOORS. MY PURPOSE FOR THAT WAS SO THAT A FASTER EXIT FROM THE CABIN COULD BE MADE IF I WERE TO NOSE THE ACFT OVER. I PERFORMED A LOW RECONNAISSANCE AND DETERMINED THAT THE FIELD SELECTED FOR LNDG WOULD BE APPROPRIATE AND VERY SURVIVABLE FOR LNDGS. ON BASE LEG, I SAW THAT I WAS A LITTLE LOW AND THAT I WAS GOING TO CROSS MY EXTENDED RWY CTRLINE SO I MADE A STEEPER BANK WHICH ELICITED AN INTERMITTENT STALL WARNING HORN INDICATING AN IMMINENT STALL. I LOWERED THE NOSE AND SAW A TALL PINE TREE IN MY 2 O'CLOCK POS ON ROLLOUT. I MADE A QUICK TURN TO THE L AND CORRECTED TO MY R. I THEN SAW LOW PWR/TELEPHONE LINES APCHING BY SCANNING R AND L AND INCREASED BACK PRESSURE ON THE CTL WHEEL SLOWING THE ACFT TO APPROX 60 KTS. WE CLRED THE LINES AND CONTINUED DSCNT TO BELOW 50 FT AGL. I CALLED FOR FULL FLAPS FROM THE ZERO FLAP SETTING AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS NO REACTION FROM THE SWITCH MOVEMENT BY MR A. I BEGAN INCREASING BACK PRESSURE TO STABILIZE THE RATE OF DSCNT LNDG ON THE MAIN WHEELS AT ZERO FLAPS, I MAINTAINED BACK PRESSURE AS PER SOFT FIELD TECHNIQUE TRYING TO ALLEVIATE THE WT ON THE NOSEWHEEL. APPROX 1000 FT LATER ON A HARD AND RUTTED FIELD, BRAKES WERE APPLIED TO A FULL STOP. MASTER SWITCH WAS LEFT ON, FUEL SELECTOR SWITCHED OFF AND EVERYONE QUICKLY EXITED THE ACFT. AFTER THE HIGH FIVES AND HUGS, WE NOTICED THE PROP AND FLANGE WERE MISSING. OTHER THAN THE SLIGHT COSMETIC DAMAGE TO THE FRONT OF THE ENG COWLING AND BROKEN WHEEL PANTS ON THE MAIN WHEELS, THE CESSNA SINGLE LOOKED LIKE A TURBO FAN CONVERSION. PROB: APPEARS TO BE MECHANICAL. UNABLE TO DETECT ON PREFLT OF ACFT. OIL FULL (12 QUARTS) ON DEP FROM SUSANVILLE.

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.