At 1957 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a field. Visual conditions prevailed. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries; the three passengers were not injured. According to an FAA inspector, the airplane was on final approach when the engine lost power. The pilot later characterized it as if someone had “flipped a switch.” The pilot stated that the engine did not sputter and no abnormalities were noted prior to the loss of engine power. During the forced landing, the nose landing gear separated, both main landing gear were compressed up through the top of the wings, the fuselage was wrinkled and the propeller was bent. The FAA inspector observed fuel in all four fuel tanks.
