- Date
- August 26, 1997, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- South Haven, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N21639Cessna 188B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 29, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970826024209A
- Case key
- 10684
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
failure of a connecting rod in the engine assembly, which resulted in loss of engine power and a forced landing. Factors relating to the accident were: lack of a recommended engine overhaul, and the lack of suitable terrain for an emergency landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After pulling up from a swath run, the engine lost power. The pilot then made a forced landing in a blue berry field. Postaccident investigation revealed a failed connecting rod in the engine. The engine had accumulated 1,900 hours since the last overhaul. The manufacturer's recommended interval for overhaul was 1,200 hours. The company owner said that he knew the engine was going to need an overhaul; however, he hoped that it would last until the aerial application season was over.
Factual narrative
On August 26, 1997, at 1230 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 188B, N21639, registered to Robertson Crop Dusting Services of South Haven, Michigan, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in a crop field near South Haven, Michigan. The pilot reported that the engine lost all power. The commercial pilot reported no injuries. The 14 CFR Part 137 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file. The local flight departed about 1210.
A post accident investigation found that there was an internal failure of a connecting rod. The engine had a total time in service since the last major overhaul of 1,900 hours. The manufacturers recommendation for overhaul is 1,200 hours. The owner of the airplane said that he was hoping that the engine would last through the spraying season and that he intended to overhaul it during the off season.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21639
- Reported as
- Cessna 188B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18800925
- Airframe hours
- 5,067
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Robertson Crop Dusting Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 22, 1997 · 296 hours before
- Departed
- 0D1 · MI
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 32
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 3,017 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 2,997 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KBE, 17 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.