[quote
From the photographs provided by the operator (Figure 2), the ATSB assessed that a connecting rod appeared to have broken and separated from the crankshaft, resulting in a hole in the crankcase. This precipitated a catastrophic engine failure. The smoke entering the cockpit was likely to have been from burning oil.
][/quote]
A bit semantic but, in my experience, the hole in the crankcase is usually caused by the portion of connecting rod which is still connected to the crankshaft while it is still rotating (momentarily) at 2000+ RPM. The portion of connecting rod which is 'separated' generally comes to a standstill with its piston inside its associated cylinder. If a big end cap comes off, the connecting rod would be unlikely to put a hole in the top of the crankcase.
