Cessna 150J N60290

Summary

On 3 March 2021 at about 20:20 local time, a Cessna 150J registered N60290 was involved in an accident near Lodi, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 March 2021 at 20:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Lodi, California, United States

Coordinates

38.1317, -121.1703

Aircraft

Cessna 150J

Registration

N60290

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lodi → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR21LA121

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power during cruise flight due to a fatigue crack in the No. 3 cylinder connecting rod shaft resulting from either preignition or detonation, which resulted in a forced landing and impact with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot receiving instruction and flight instructor had planned a local instructional flight on the day of the accident. Shortly into the flight after they reached their cruise flight altitude, they experienced a total loss of engine power. The airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing in a field. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the connecting rod shaft for the No. 3 cylinder had fractured due to fatigue cracking. The buildup of combustion deposits suggested the event was caused by either preignition or detonation or both, which would have been the result of the use of a lower grade fuel or operating the engine at high power settings with an excessively lean mixture. Although a trace amount of automotive fuel was detected in the fuel line to the carburetor, fuel records indicate that the pilot had been using 100LL consistently. The operating fuel used by the previous owner is unknown; however, the previous owner implied that he used 100LL during conversations with the current owner. The pilot’s leaning practices showed that he regularly leaned the mixture to reach best rpm and enrichened three turns.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.