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
 
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