Stinson 108-3 accident near Bristol, Connecticut, February 21, 1999
On February 21, 1999 at about 4:58 pm local time, a Stinson 108-3, registered N6191M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bristol, Connecticut. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 partial loss of power due to the failure of a fatigued connecting rod bolt.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 21, 1999 · about 4:58 pm local time
- Place
- Bristol, Connecticut
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 108-3 · all 108-3s on the register
- Registration
- N6191M · no longer on the register · serial 108-4191
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he heard a loud noise accompanied by a loss of engine power. A forced landing was executed to a field. Inspection of the engine after the accident revealed two holes in the top of the engine crankcase. The number 3 piston, and it's connecting rod and bolts, were removed from the engine and examined. One of the connecting rod bolts contained microfissures typical of fatigue cracking on the head portion of the bolt. The fatigue cracking had initiated from multiple locations on one side of the underhead radius, and had propagated nearly all of the way through the cross section of the bolt before final separation. A review of the Airplane Engine logbooks revealed that the last Major overhaul was conducted on March 3, 1965.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,076 hours in all; 360 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,593 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 20, 1998; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A4-165-B3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7B6 East Windsor CT at 4:32 pm
- Destination: DXR Danbury CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,800 ft; clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from HFD, 15 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.