Cessna T188C accident near Bruce, Mississippi, May 14, 1999
On May 14, 1999 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna T188C, registered N1994J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bruce, Mississippi. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of lubrication to the number 2 connecting rod due to the shifted bearing that resulted in the total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 1999 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bruce, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T188C · all T188Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1994J · no longer on the register · serial T18803329T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot finished spraying a field, pulled up and turned the spray pump off, when the engine lost oil pressure and the pilot heard a loud noise. Smoke came out of the cowling and the engine lost power approximately 50 feet above the ground. The pilot elected to perform a forced landing to a cotton field. During the landing roll, the airplane traveled through some small trees and brush, and came to a stop across a ditch. Examination of the engine revealed that the engine experienced lubrication distress to the number 2 connecting rod bearing and journal. The number 2 connecting rod was supplied oil from the number 2 main bearing. The number 2 main bearing was shifted in the crankcase bearing saddle, which restricted the oil feed to the number 2 connecting rod. As a result, the number 2 connecting rod failed.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,100 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,929 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 27, 1999; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-T (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT MS at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from TUP, 33 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.