Accident Overview
On August 24, 2020, at approximately 1550 mountain daylight time, a Grumman G164B airplane, registration N2437D, sustained substantial damage during an accident near Ogallala, Nebraska. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 agricultural flight.
Pilot Account
According to the pilot, the airplane had flown earlier that day and he departed for another agricultural flight. Shortly after takeoff, during the climb, the engine lost power. The pilot dumped the load, checked the magnetos, and confirmed the fuel was on. He then executed an emergency landing in a cornfield approximately 1.85 miles from the airport. Upon landing, the bottom wing struck corn, causing the airplane to nose over. The forced landing resulted in substantial damage to the wings and empennage.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident engine examination revealed small metallic pieces in the oil filter element. The engine could not be rotated by hand. The top cylinder was removed; its connecting rod was broken, and metal fragments were noted inside the engine. A bottom cylinder was subsequently removed, and a broken section of the master connecting rod was retrieved.
Metallurgical Analysis
The broken connecting rod section was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Materials Laboratory for detailed examination. The NTSB lab observed that different areas of the connecting rod fracture surface were consistent with overstress fracture. No indications of pre-existing cracking features were found.
Conclusion
The investigation documented the sequence of events and the mechanical failure, but no probable cause was explicitly stated in the available source.