Amateur-built Thunder Mustang N151G accident near Reno, Nevada

Probable cause

Failure of a connecting rod bearing and two connecting rods, which resulted in a loss of engine power while maneuvering at low altitude.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that he was flying as one of a group of seven airplanes in an air race, and, during lap four, the engine lost all power. The pilot increased altitude to 2,000 feet above ground level and entered the landing pattern but had to extend his downwind to avoid traffic still on the race course. The wind took him further away from the runway than he intended so that when he turned toward the runway, he could not complete the turn to the runway heading, and intercepted the runway on a 50-degree angle at an intersection with another runway. The airplane rolled across the intersection, onto a taxiway, and continued onto a dirt ramp before cartwheeling and coming to rest in the dirt about halfway between the taxiway and the runway. Postaccident examination of the engine found that a connecting rod bearing and two connecting rods in the engine fractured and separated, which resulted in the loss of engine power.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR10LA468 for the full record.