Probable cause
The loss of engine power due to a connecting rod failure for reasons that could not be determined due to secondary mechanical damage, which resulted in a subsequent forced landing.
NTSB analysis
The pilot reported that he heard a "horrible noise" and that the engine "immediately seized" about 10 minutes from the destination airport. Oil covered the windshield and obstructed his forward field of view. He executed a forced landing to a road by holding the airplane in a right crab so that he could see out of the left side window. The airplane came to rest inverted in the grass adjacent to the road and sustained damage to the fuselage and wings.
A postaccident engine examination revealed that the No. 4 and No. 6 connecting rods had fractured and separated from the crankshaft. Metallurgical examination was unable to determine the source of the initial failure due to secondary mechanical damage. The intact fracture surfaces that were available for examination exhibited features consistent with overstress.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN19LA098 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Mar 12, 2019
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Waterloo, Illinois
- Nearest airport
- St Louis Downtown (CPS)
- Highest injury
- Serious
- Serious injuries
- 1
- Minor injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Piper PA32R
- N-number
- N750R
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1976
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
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.