Mooney M20C N6405U
21 October 1998 · Englewood, Colorado, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 21 October 1998 at about 14:28 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N6405U was involved in an accident near Englewood, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:28
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Englewood, Colorado, United States
- Nearest airport
- Centennial Airport (APA)
- Coordinates
- 39.5800, -104.8590
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C
- Registration
- N6405U
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → La Junta
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN99LA015
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The undertorquing of the camshaft gear retaining bolts during engine overhaul by maintenance personnel. A factor was the unsuitable terrain for a forced landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During climb following departure, the engine lost power. The pilot reported the emergency to the tower and attempted to return to the airport. Determining that he would be unable to make it back, he made an emergency landing in a field one and a half miles southeast of the airport. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the camshaft gear retaining bolts connecting the camshaft gear to the camshaft had lost torque. As a result, the lobes failed to open their respective valves, creating discontinuity to the gear train. The tread on each of the four camshaft gear bolts exhibited shiny, worn patterns. According to a Textron Lycoming engineer, loss of camshaft retaining bolt torque is indicative of the bolts being improperly torqued during the engine overhaul. According to aircraft maintenance records, the engine was overhauled on March 15, 1985, and had accumulated 833 hours since overhaul.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20C accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Mar 1998 | Mooney M20C | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 1998 | Mooney M20C | Reno, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1998 | Mooney M20C | Vernon, Texas, United States | Flight Training Center, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 10 Mar 1998 | Mooney M20C | White River, South Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1999 | Mooney M20C | Irving, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 1997 | Mooney M20C | Sarepta, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Aug 1998 | Mooney M20F | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 28 Jan 1998 | Aviat A-1 | Buena Vista, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jan 1998 | Cessna 182E | Steamboat Sprng, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Nov 1998 | Champion 7GCAA | Aurora, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Feb 1998 | Beechcraft 23 | Colorado Sprngs, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Feb 1998 | Enstrom F-28C-2 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |