Probable cause
The total loss of engine power due to a failure of the master connecting rod.
NTSB analysis
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot of an agricultural airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. Unable to restore engine power, the pilot made an emergency landing in a cornfield, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane.
The engine was removed from the airframe and an engine examination revealed small bits of metal in the oil filter element and that the engine was seized. The top cylinder was removed, the cylinder’s connecting rod was broken, and metal fragments were noted inside the engine. A bottom cylinder was then removed, and a broken section of the master connecting rod was retrieved. Metallurgical examination determined that the connecting rod separated due to overstress fracture, with no indication of pre-existing cracking.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN20LA364 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Aug 24, 2020
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Ogallala, Nebraska
- Nearest airport
- Ogallala Searle Field (OGA)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Grumman G164
- N-number
- N2437D
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1984
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 137 (agricultural)
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial application
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.