# NTSB ATL99LA087: Cessna T188C, N1994J, Bruce, MS, May 14, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 14, 1999, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC) - Place: Bruce, MS - Coordinates: 33.989601, -89.339187 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.9896&lon=-89.3392&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 21, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 46326 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL99LA087 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/46326/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL99LA087 ## Probable cause The loss of lubrication to the number 2 connecting rod due to the shifted bearing 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(total) - mech failure/malf, maneuvering - aerial application - engine assembly,bearing - shifted (cause) - lubricating system,oil port/passage,internal - restricted (cause) - engine assembly,connecting rod - failure (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - On ground/water collision with object, emergency landing - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The pilot finished spraying a field, pulled up and turned the spray pump off, when the engine 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 perform a forced landing to a cotton field. During the landing roll, the airplane traveled through some small trees and brush, and came to a stop across a ditch. Examination of the engine revealed that the engine experienced lubrication distress to the number 2 connecting rod bearing and journal. The number 2 connecting rod was supplied oil from the number 2 main bearing. The number 2 main bearing was shifted in the crankcase bearing saddle, which restricted the oil feed to the number 2 connecting rod. As a result, the number 2 connecting rod failed. ## Factual narrative On May 14, 1999, at 1100 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 the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 137, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed for the local agricultural application flight. The pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Bruce, Mississippi, at 0900. According to the pilot, he had just finished 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. He engaged the fuel boost pump at that point, but was unable to regain power. 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. According to the FAA, the pilot stated that he had to keep decreasing the propeller pitch to keep the RPM up during the agricultural application. The FAA noted that the propeller could only be turned 180 degrees in either direction by hand during field examination of the accident. A pool of oil underneath the airplane was also noted by the FAA. Inspection of the engine revealed an outward protruding cracked area the size of a dime near the number three cylinder, and a hole, approximately two inches in diameter in the top of the crank case adjacent to the number 2 cylinder. The FAA stated that while looking through the hole in the crank case, it was noticed that the connecting rod was not connected to the crank shaft and the area where the connecting rod connects to the crankshaft was dry. 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. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1994J](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1994J-2000-09-25), registration cancelled 2000-09-25, S/N T18803329T (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna T188C - Registry model: [Cessna T188C](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-t188c) (registry code 2073012) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: T18803329T - Airframe hours: 5929 - Engines: Continental TSIO-520-T 310 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Operator: Darren L. Collins - Registered owner: Tedford Servive Flying Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, March 27, 1999, 15 hours before - Departed: PVT, MS ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 30; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: center; flight hours: 3,100 total, 1,000 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 0° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 25,000 ft broken - Temperature: 68 °F, dew point 57 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: TUP, 33 nm away ## 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 19990514005189A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990514005189A), May 14, 1999: Cessna T188C, Bruce, MS, Substantial damage. 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… 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.