The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1810 Mountain time when it struck powerlines during a precautionary landing following a loss of engine oil pressure. The pilot/owner and his passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.
After departing the traffic pattern, the pilot reduced power to overfly a property. At that time, he noticed that the oil pressure was at the bottom of the green arc. He increased power and observed the oil pressure in the upper end of the yellow arc. Based on the population density between the airport and his current position, he elected to conduct a precautionary landing in a field. On short final, the airplane struck powerlines and then landed hard in the field. The airplane skidded about 150 feet, and came to rest upright. The propeller, landing gear and fuselage were damaged. The airplane’s engine was manufactured in 1965, and had a total time in service of 1289 hours. The engine had never been overhauled.
