Mooney M20E N5516Q

Summary

On 8 December 1985 at about 23:20 local time, a Mooney M20E registered N5516Q was involved in an accident near Selma, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

8 December 1985 at 23:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Selma, California, United States

Coordinates

36.5297, -119.6398

Aircraft

Mooney M20E

Registration

N5516Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Jose → Bakersfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX86LA059

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

DURING CRUISE ON A VFR X-COUNTRY FLT, THE PLT STATED THAT THE ENG BECAME ROUGH WITH MODERATE VIBRATION LEVELS. AFTER SHUTTING DOWN THE ENG, THE PLT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A FLD, COLLIDED WITH GND OBSTRUCTIONS & COLLAPSED ALL 3 LANDING GEAR. EXAMINATION OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THE NUTS ON THE HOLD DOWN STUDS FOR THE #3 CYLINDER HAD BACKED OFF WHICH OVERSTRESSED THE REMAINING NUTS & CAUSED THEM TO FAIL. THE #3 CYLINDER WAS FOUND SEPARATED FROM THE CASE. ACCORDING TO THE IA WHO EXAMINED THE ENG, THE NUTS ON THE NUMBERS 3 & 4 CYLINDERS WERE UNDERTORQUED DURING A PRIOR MAINTENANCE PERIOD. THE IMPROPER TORQUE LEVELS ALLOWED SOME OF THE NUTS TO LOOSEN & EVENTUALLY BACK OFF, PRECIPITATING THE SEQUENCE OF EVENT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.