What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Acft was returning to its home base after an aerial application operation when the engine failed, the pilot attempted to make an emergency landing in a cotton field, and the acft went into a ditch, other circumstances are unknown. (From .19) on may 14, 1999, at 0945, central daylight time, a Cessna T188C, N1994J, collided with the ground during an emergency landing in Bruce, Mississippi. The airplane was operated by the commercial pilot under provisions of title 14 CFR part 137, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local agricultural application flight. The pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. According to the pilot he had just finished spraying a load. As he pulled up out of the field and turned the spray pump off, he heard a loud noise. Smoke came out of the cowling and the engine died. He engaged the fuel boost pump however; the engine would not start. The pilot said he made it to a field but was traveling too fast to stop. The airplane ran across a ditch at the end of the field and stopped, substantially damaging the airplane. (.4) according to the pilot, he had just f inished spraying a field. As he pulled up out of the field and turned the spray pump off, the airplane lost oil pressure and the pilot heard a loud noise. Smoke came out of the cowling and the engine lost power approximately 50 feet above the ground. The pilot elected to land in a nearby cotton field. The pilot stated that he did not have enough room to stop and the airplane subsequently traveled through some small trees and brush and came to a stop across a ditch in another cotton field. Teardown and examination of the engine by teledyne Continental motors in mobile, Alabama, and observed by the NTSB revealed that the engine experienced lubrication distress to the number 2 connecting rod bearing and journal. The number 2 connecting rod is supplied oil from the number 2 main bearing. The number 2 main bearing was shifted in the crankcase bearing saddle, which restricted or obscured the oil feed to the number 2 connecting rod. As a result, the number 2 connecting rod failed, which resulted in its disconnection from the crankshaft journal. The engine interior was damaged as a result of the number 2 connecting rod failure. (.23) during flight from application site to home base-engine power was lost-aircraft landed in cotton field, impacted trees and ditch.
As the FAA filed it
ACFT WAS RETURNING TO ITS HOME BASE AFTER AN AERIAL APPLICATION OPERATION WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A COTTON FIELD, AND THE ACFT WENT INTO A DITCH, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (FROM .19) ON MAY 14, 1999, AT 0945, CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA T188C, N1994J, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN BRUCE, MISSISSIPPI. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED BY THE COMMERCIAL PILOT UNDER PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 137, AND VISUAL FLIGHT RULES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL AGRICULTURAL APPLICATION FLIGHT. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED AND THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT HE HAD JUST FINISHED SPRAYING A LOAD. AS HE PULLED UP OUT OF THE FIELD AND TURNED THE SPRAY PUMP OFF, HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE. SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE COWLING AND THE ENGINE DIED. HE ENGAGED THE FUEL BOOST PUMP HOWEVER; THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START. THE PILOT SAID HE MADE IT TO A FIELD BUT WAS TRAVELING TOO FAST TO STOP. THE AIRPLANE RAN ACROSS A DITCH AT THE END OF THE FIELD AND STOPPED, SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGING THE AIRPLANE. (.4) ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE HAD JUST F INISHED SPRAYING A FIELD. AS HE PULLED UP OUT OF THE FIELD AND TURNED THE SPRAY PUMP OFF, THE AIRPLANE LOST OIL PRESSURE AND THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD NOISE. SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE COWLING AND THE ENGINE LOST POWER APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND IN A NEARBY COTTON FIELD. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO STOP AND THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY TRAVELED THROUGH SOME SMALL TREES AND BRUSH AND CAME TO A STOP ACROSS A DITCH IN ANOTHER COTTON FIELD. TEARDOWN AND EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE BY TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL MOTORS IN MOBILE, ALABAMA, AND OBSERVED BY THE NTSB REVEALED THAT THE ENGINE EXPERIENCED LUBRICATION DISTRESS TO THE NUMBER 2 CONNECTING ROD BEARING AND JOURNAL. THE NUMBER 2 CONNECTING ROD IS SUPPLIED OIL FROM THE NUMBER 2 MAIN BEARING. THE NUMBER 2 MAIN BEARING WAS SHIFTED IN THE CRANKCASE BEARING SADDLE, WHICH RESTRICTED OR OBSCURED THE OIL FEED TO THE NUMBER 2 CONNECTING ROD. AS A RESULT, THE NUMBER 2 CONNECTING ROD FAILED, WHICH RESULTED IN ITS DISCONNECTION FROM THE CRANKSHAFT JOURNAL. THE ENGINE INTERIOR WAS DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THE NUMBER 2 CONNECTING ROD FAILURE. (.23) DURING FLIGHT FROM APPLICATION SITE TO HOME BASE-ENGINE POWER WAS LOST-AIRCRAFT LANDED IN COTTON FIELD, IMPACTED TREES AND DITCH.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.