Cessna 177 N3386T

Summary

On 29 April 2020 at about 00:52 local time, a Cessna 177 registered N3386T was involved in an accident near Lodi, California, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 April 2020 at 00:52

Classification

Accident

Location

Lodi, California, United States

Coordinates

38.1961, -121.2489

Aircraft

Cessna 177

Registration

N3386T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lodi → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR20LA133

1 person had minor injuries.

The fatigue failure of the no. 4 cylinder connecting rod, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that about 15 minutes after takeoff, he heard a loud noise and observed oil on the windscreen, followed by a total loss of engine power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful and initiated a forced landing to a nearby field. Subsequently, the airplane landed hard and came to rest upright, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 4 connecting rod had failed. Metallurgical examination of the connecting rod revealed that it had fractured from a fatigue crack, which initiated at an inner flange corner of the rod, about 1.15 inches from the piston pin bore. Once the connecting rod was no longer connected, the lower portion of the connecting rod (closer to the crankshaft) fractured in bending overstress, beginning a cascade of wider damage while the reciprocating engine was running.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.