# NTSB ATL00LA088: Cessna 188, N9977G, Tampa, FL, September 10, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 10, 2000, 15:05 local (19:05 UTC) - Place: Tampa, FL - Coordinates: 27.959518, -82.490936 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.9595&lon=-82.4909&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 8, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 50279 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL00LA088 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/50279/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL00LA088 ## Probable cause The failure of the number six-piston connecting rod that resulted in the total loss of engine power. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, cruise - engine assembly,connecting rod - failure,total (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - In flight collision with object, emergency descent/landing - object - wire,transmission ## Analysis While enroute to the staging area to drop the banner, the engine, without warning, appeared to accelerate into an over-speed condition. Seconds later, the engine lost power and quit. The airplane collided with a utility line as the pilot maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing. Examination of the engine revealed, that the number six-piston arm assembly broke through the engine case. There was no oil in the engine and the engine had seized. The engine had undergone recent major repairs. ## Factual narrative On September 10, 2000, at 1505 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 188, N9977G, collided with a utility line and the ground during an attempted forced landing following a loss of engine power near Tampa, Florida. American Outdoor Advertising operated the Banner Tow Flight under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the commercial pilot was not injured. The flight departed the Banner Tow staging area at the Tampa North Aero Park in Tampa, Florida, at 1403. According to the pilot, he had completed the advertising mission for this banner, and was enroute to the staging area to drop the banner. While enroute, the engine, without warning, appeared to accelerate into an over-speed condition. Seconds later, the engine lost power and quit. The pilot selected an area for a forced landing and established an approach. While on final approach to land, the airplane collided with a utility line as the pilot maneuvered the airplane to avoid a collision with a pile of lumber. The on-site examination of the airplane disclosed that there was a hole in the engine crankcase. The examination also revealed that the number six connecting rod cap was disconnected and the connecting rod had punched through the crankcase. Further examination of the engine disclosed that the there was no lubrication oil in the engine case, and that the engine had seized. According to the operator, the engine had recently undergone major repairs. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N9977G](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9977G-2006-04-12), registration cancelled 2006-04-12, S/N 18800777, built 1971 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 188 - Registry model: [Cessna 188A](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-188a) (registry code 2073006) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 188-00777 - Engines: Continental O-470-R 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Other work use, Part 91 - Operator: American Outdoor Advertising - Registered owner: Crakes Aviation - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special); Standard, Normal - Departed: X39, FL ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 25; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: center; flight hours: 2,000 total, 200 in this make and model, 50 in the last 90 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Day - Wind: 130° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 2,500 ft broken - Temperature: 88 °F, dew point 70 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: TPE ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000910016319A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000910016319A), Sep 10, 2000: Lkheed 188A, Tampa, FL, Substantial damage. (-23) On sept. 10, 2000 at 1505 EST during a local banner tow flight, a Cessna 188, piloted by a commercial pilot in the vicinity of Tampa, Florida was… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.