Don Forsman wrote:

Paul, here's something from AvFlash 7.13b:

EXTRA 400 DEMONSTRATOR SUFFERS IN-FLIGHT ENGINE FAILURE
It got real quiet for the two aboard a brand-new Extra 400 high-
performance single when the all-composite airplane's engine failed
catastrophically Saturday near the Phoenix-Deer Valley Municipal Airport
(DVT) in Phoenix, Ariz.  A salesman and a prospective customer were
aboard and made a safe gear-up landing on a highway ramp, and neither
was hurt.  Much of the post-incident analysis is still pending, but
AVweb has learned that a connecting rod in the TCM TSIOL-550-C
powerplant, a turbocharged, liquid-cooled piston engine kicking out 350
HP, apparently failed and not only punched a hole in the crankcase but
also left an exit hole in the cowling.  The engine had only 35 hours
total time on it, and the airplane is one of only 15 Extra 400s
currently operating around the world.

Don.

No rotary engine has ever broken a connecting rod :-)

Paul Lamar

and no piston engine has wiped out a stationary gear :-) - Vance

Despite what Leon says that is an extremely rare occurrence.
The probability of that happening under 8000 RPM is near zero.
It was a problem in race engines 25 years ago before Mazda went
with twelve roll pins. I personally have never seen one and I have
looked at a lot of old Mazda engines. On the other hand I HAVE seen,
heard and experienced  several broken connecting rods  not to mention
all the other Rube Goldberg parts in piston engines :-)

Paul Lamar
 
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