Overall Trends
Total, fatal, and serious accidents in the selected range.
Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.
Fast key and full-text search with live filters, watches, and precise metadata.
Use quotes for exact phrase matches (for example "fuel selector valve").
Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.
Major cases, deep-report coverage, and investigation media across decades of NTSB history.
Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.
NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.
The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.
The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.
Elwood, NE
The pilot reported that he heard a “loud bang” from the engine during cruise flight, which was followed by “severe vibration.” The pilot moved the throttle to idle, but the vibration got worse. The pilot then applied full throttle, and the engine seemed to run smoothly. However, the engine subsequently began to lose power, and the airplane was unable to maintain altitude. About 0.75 miles from the runway, the engine completely lost power, and the pilot executed a forced landing to a cornfield, during which the airplane nosed over which resulted in substantial damage to the upper left wing and struts. Partial disassembly of the engine revealed that the master rod, that connects the piston in one cylinder to the crankshaft, had failed.
The failure of the engine master rod, resulting in a total loss of engine power and a forced landing.
On June 13, 2021, about 1330 central daylight time, a Boeing B75N1 Stearman airplane, N777JG, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Elwood, Nebraska. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that, while the airplane was in cruise flight at an altitude of about 1,000 ft above ground level, he heard a “loud bang” from the engine, which was followed by “severe vibration.” The pilot moved the throttle to idle, but the vibration got worse. The pilot applied full throttle, and the engine seemed to run smoother. Subsequently, the engine began to lose power, and the airplane was unable to maintain altitude. The engine lost total power when the airplane was in the base-to-final turn about 0.75 miles from the runway at an altitude of 200 ft above ground level. The pilot executed a forced landing to a cornfield. The airplane nosed over when the landing gear dug into the soft dirt, resulting in substantial damage to the upper left wing and struts. The pilot, who was also the owner of the airplane, reported that a partial disassembly of the engine revealed that the master rod, that connects the piston in one cylinder to the crankshaft, had failed. Several radial engine mechanics the pilot spoke to commented that a master rod failure was consistent with his description of the loss of engine power. The reason for the failure was not determined. The engine total time was 1,910 hours, and the time since major overhaul was 655.0 hours.