Mooney M20K N231PG

Summary

On 29 August 2003 at about 15:09 local time, a Mooney M20K registered N231PG was involved in an accident near Chesterfield, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 August 2003 at 15:09

Classification

Accident

Location

Chesterfield, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

37.4108, -77.5303

Aircraft

Mooney M20K

Registration

N231PG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Easton → Martinsville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD03LA073

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to the fatigue fracture of the #2 cylinder head. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A 652-hour commercial pilot reported a loss of engine power during cruise flight. During a forced landing on a four-lane highway, the airplane collided with a vehicle. Examination of the engine revealed that the #2 cylinder head was fractured circumferentially between that fourth and fifth fins from the engine end of the head due to fatigue. As a result, the head was in two pieces: the engine side and the dome side. The engine side of the head remained attached to the barrel and the injector line was fractured at one of the brazed joint for one of the ferrules. The 215-horsepower engine had accumulated a total 326-hours since the last top overhaul and 887 hours since its last major overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.