Probable cause
The total loss of engine power due to an insufficient fastener preload that led to the failure of the No. 2 connecting rod assembly.
NTSB analysis
The pilot reported that, while en route to spray a field, the engine lost power and the windshield became obscured with oil. The pilot immediately turned into the wind and made a forced landing into a nearby cornfield. A postaccident examination revealed that the No. 2 connecting rod had separated from the engine crankshaft. Metallurgical examinations found polishing and wear patterns indicative of relative motion between the connecting rod components and an associated rod bolt head/nut. The nut threads were sheared as result of overload failure, consistent with impulse loading. The observed anomalies were consistent with an insufficient fastener preload on installation of the connecting rod bolt. The engine had accumulated 1,193 hours since its last major overhaul. It is likely that the rod bolt head/nut became loose during operation, which led to a failure of the assembly due to impulse loading.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN10LA450 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jul 29, 2010
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Montezuma, Indiana
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna T188C
- N-number
- N2085J
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 137 (agricultural)
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial application
Other records under this N-number
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.