CESSNA 150

Full Narrative

On February 4, 2024, about 1535 eastern standard time, a Cessna 150G airplane, N3747J, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Parkland, Florida. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to the pilot, after topping off the fuel, getting a weather briefing, and conducting a preflight inspection and engine run-up, he and the pilot-rated passenger departed Pompano Beach Airpark (PMP), Pompano Beach, Florida, destined for Airglades Airport (2IS), Clewiston, Florida. After departure they climbed to 2,000 feet above mean sea level; when the pilot leveled off and they had just started flying over the Everglades, he immediately recognized that the engine rpm was not increasing as he had anticipated. The tachometer was only indicating 2,100 rpm and he was expecting 2,400 to 2,500 rpm.
The pilot then checked the airplane’s configuration and settings and determined something was not right. The engine was still running smoothly, and he stated to the pilot-rated passenger that they were going to return to PMP. He then made a 180-degree turn, and they were maintaining altitude momentarily before the engine began to shake. The engine rpm then began to decrease, and the engine started to run very rough but was still producing partial power. The pilot reduced power to see if he could reduce the shaking, then radioed air traffic control to declare an emergency.
As they approached a road for an emergency landing, the pilot managed the airspeed and wing flaps to assure they would be able to clear a traffic light crossbar. There were vehicles approaching head-on on their left and trees on their right, and the pilot maneuvered the airplane to land between them. The pilot reported that the landing looked good until just after touchdown, when a branch stuck the tip of the right wing and turned the airplane perpendicular to the road.
Review of video taken by a witness confirmed that the engine was running rough before touchdown.
Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that during the impact sequence, it had incurred substantial damage. The propeller and engine cowling were damaged, the left wing sustained damage to the wing tip and outboard leading edge of the wing, and displayed buckling near the wing root. The right wing sustained damage to the wing tip, outer leading edge, and wing spar, and displayed span-wise twisting and folding near the wing root.
Examination of the engine revealed a roughly 6-inch hole in the top of the engine case just behind the No. 2 cylinder. Further examination revealed indications consistent with oil starvation, though the oil tank was found to contain 5 quarts of oil, and the oil pump was found to be functional.
The No. 2 connecting rod was found to be twisted, displayed thermal damage, and was separated from the crankshaft. Multiple metallic fragments, which among other things included bearing material, pieces of the No. 2 rod end cap, and pieces of the piston rings, were found in the engine and oil tank. The Nos. 1, 3, and 4 rod end bearings displayed evidence consistent with extrusion of the bearing material. No metallic debris was discovered in either the engine oil screen or oil filter.
According to airplane maintenance records, a major overhaul of the engine occurred about 187 hours of operation before the accident.