Cessna 150K LV-GDK Engine Failure and Emergency Landing in La Plata

Incident Overview and Flight Details On April 12, 2021, a Cessna 150K with registration LV-GDK, owned by Wingman SAS, departed from Morón Aerodrome in Buenos Aires at approximately 13:00 UTC for a general aviation training flight to La Plata Airport. The aircraft was in the cruise phase at an altitude of 1,000 feet, approximately 10 kilometers from its destination, when a total loss of engine power occurred. The pilot attempted to restart the engine in flight but was unsuccessful, leading to the decision to execute an emergency landing in an unprepared field. The landing was completed without incident, and the pilot exited the aircraft unassisted and without injury. The event took place during the day in good weather conditions. ## Investigation and Technical Findings During the investigation, the pilot reported perceiving a loss of power followed by the engine stopping while in cruise phase at 7 nautical miles from the destination. An attempt to restart the engine failed, with the propeller remaining stationary. Subsequently, the engine was disassembled at an authorized workshop under the supervision of the Argentine Transportation Safety Board (JST). The inspection revealed that the crankshaft was fractured at one of the arms of the number 3 connecting rod journal. However, no evidence was found during the disassembly and visual inspection to determine the origin of the failure that led to the crankshaft fracture. ## Maintenance Records and Analysis Maintenance records indicated that the engine had a total of 3,397.4 hours and 274.4 hours since the last overhaul, which had been performed approximately a year and a half prior to the incident. The most recent inspection was a 100-hour check conducted 12 days before the event, after which the engine accumulated 29.7 hours. The investigation concluded that the aircraft and engine were maintained according to manufacturer specifications. Therefore, the crankshaft failure could not be directly linked to maintenance aspects. No prior documentary evidence related to critical failures was found. Additionally, the investigation did not find macroscopic evidence to definitively establish the origin of the progressive cracking process of the crankshaft. ## Conclusions and Safety Actions The engine failure occurred during a training flight, resulting in an emergency landing. The motor stopped during the cruise phase due to the fractured crankshaft, with the aircraft at 1,000 feet altitude. The pilot landed without causing damage to the aircraft or third parties, and no one was injured. The investigation did not find concrete evidence of the origin of the crankshaft fracture. The evidence obtained and its analysis did not suggest specific operational safety actions.