Cardinal 177/177RG
Flight Crew Instrument
Time Pressure
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
I left ZZZ enroute to ZZZ1. I was in my initial climb; only about 10 minutes into the flight; and saw the oil pressure started to fluctuate; I called approach and reported low oil pressure and I was going to land at ZZZ2. After I contacted them the oil pressure dropped to zero. I pulled the throttle back to idle and circled the field once; got to key position close and high to the airport. I did a full forward slip and landed without incident. After I was down I coasted onto the ramp via the taxiway and shut the engine down. There was no oil on the dipstick; I left ZZZ with 7 quarts.The Thursday before the flight; I assisted my partner in the airplane in changing the oil. We checked for leaks and took it for a test flight with no incident.The root cause was a failed seal between the oil filter adapter plate and the engine casing. It had nothing to do with the oil change; it was a seal replaced by our mechanic at an annual over a year ago.
C177 pilot reported a loss of engine oil pressure during climb resulting in a diversion to the nearest suitable airport.