Mooney M20J N3874H
14 December 1995 · Bay Minette, Alabama, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 14 December 1995 at about 01:15 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N3874H, operated by James D. Brower, was involved in an accident near Bay Minette, Alabama, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Bay Minette, Alabama, United States
- Nearest airport
- Bay Minette (1R8)
- Coordinates
- 30.8807, -87.7710
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J
- Registration
- N3874H
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- James D. Brower
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sparta → Fairhope
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- ATL96FA021
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
failure of the alternate air door, which resulted in blockage of air through the induction system. A factor relating to the accident was: failure to comply with Safety Bulletin SB-M20-253.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
About 23 miles from the destination airport, the pilot reported to approach control that the engine had lost power. He declared an emergency, and the controller issued radar vectors toward the Bay Minette Municipal Airport. However, the pilot was forced to make an off-airport landing at night. During the landing, the airplane collided with a grove of trees about 1.75 from the airport. Wreckage examination revealed that the alternate air door was out of its normally installed position, and had blocked airflow to the engine induction ram air inlet. On 5/10/92, the manufacturer had issued a service bulletin (SB), SB-M20-253, which provided for repair of the alternate air door. Recent maintenance had been performed on the induction air box assembly, but there was no record of SB compliance. After the accident, on 12/22/95, the FAA issued a priority airworthiness directive (AD), which addressed this problem.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20J accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jul 1995 | Mooney M20J | Crawford, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Apr 1995 | Mooney M20J | Kirksville, Missouri, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Apr 1995 | Mooney M20J | Cleveland, Ohio, United States | Dennis W. Marek | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 1995 | Mooney M20J | Tijeras, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Mar 1995 | Mooney M20J | Pacoima, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Jul 1995 | Mooney M20J | Belmar, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Aug 1995 | Cessna 188T | Town Creek, Alabama, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 1995 | Cessna 188T | Town Creek, Alabama, United States | Elliott Parker | No injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 1995 | Bell UH-1H | Montgomery, Alabama, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 1995 | Ronsrans R 12 | Clanton, Alabama, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 1995 | Schweizer 269C | Hoover, Alabama, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 Sep 1995 | Cessna 182R | Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States | James R. Tarter, JR | No injuries | - |