Piper PA32R accident near Waterloo, Illinois, March 12, 2019
On March 12, 2019 at about 7:42 pm local time, a 1976 Piper PA32R, registered N750R, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Waterloo, Illinois (St Louis Downtown airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to a connecting rod failure for reasons that could not be determined due to secondary mechanical damage, which resulted in a subsequent forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 12, 2019 · about 7:42 pm local time
- Place
- Waterloo, Illinois · St Louis Downtown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32R 300, built 1976 · all PA32Rs on the register
- Registration
- N750R · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7780067
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he heard a "horrible noise" and that the engine "immediately seized" about 10 minutes from the destination airport. Oil covered the windshield and obstructed his forward field of view. He executed a forced landing to a road by holding the airplane in a right crab so that he could see out of the left side window. The airplane came to rest inverted in the grass adjacent to the road and sustained damage to the fuselage and wings. A postaccident engine examination revealed that the No. 4 and No. 6 connecting rods had fractured and separated from the crankshaft. Metallurgical examination was unable to determine the source of the initial failure due to secondary mechanical damage. The intact fracture surfaces that were available for examination exhibited features consistent with overstress.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,350 hours in all; 2,639 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 3,105 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 21, 2018
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,950.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 20, 2018; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 5,884 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFM Mobile AL at 4:18 pm
- Destination: CPS Cahokia IL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from CPS, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on July 31, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Engine Examination Summary | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Records -- Airframe | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Maintenance Records -- Engine | PDF, 19 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Maintenance Records -- Propeller | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 20 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.