Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Retractable Gear
Flight Crew Commercial; Maintenance Powerplant; Maintenance Airframe; Maintenance Inspection Authority
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 24; Flight Crew Total 4146.7; Flight Crew Type 3146
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Diverted; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
I fueled my aircraft to full capacity on the evening prior to flight. The aircraft had not flown that evening or night. The next morning I departed to ZZZ. Ten minutes into flight the engine quit; so I made an emergency landing on a road. There was no damage to aircraft or me or my 1 passenger and I just rolled into a big field on side of road. I gave statements to police; fire dept.; and FAA.  Witness observed my full tanks dripping fuel from the overflow vent so I repositioned the wing low on that side so it wouldn't drip so he knew it had full fuel. I then hired a flat bed and took aircraft; police escorted to my hangar. At time of emergency I radioed a fellow pilot on same route who alerted ATC. Engine failure cause is broken push rod on exhaust of #1 cylinder. Also; results of the backfiring that caused induction pipes to get blown apart are available on request.
Pilot experienced an engine failure and performed off-field landing.