Cessna 152 N757HA accident near Leesburg, Florida

Probable cause

The failure of the No. 3 connecting rod cap due to oil starvation. Contributing to the accident was the contamination of the engine oil.

NTSB analysis

According to the pilot, 12 minutes into the flight, he noticed that the rpm began to decrease after climbing through 1,900 feet. He said that he applied carburetor heat, but the engine "froze" seconds later, and made an off field emergency landing. During the examination of the engine by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector and a Teledyne Lycoming engine representative it was revealed that the No. 3 connecting rod was detached from the crankshaft and was heat damaged. The engine was found to contain rust corrosion. Over time this leads to oil contamination and dirt particle embedment on the bearings. When bearings clearances decrease, this in affect can cause oil starvation. Review of maintenance records revealed that the engine was field overhauled on May 21, 2001. At the time of the overhaul, the engine had a total time of 3,552.6 hours. On April 18, 2008, during the annual inspection, it showed a total time of 1036.8 hours since overhaul.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for MIA08LA125 for the full record.