Mooney M20C N6773U

Summary

On 18 July 2004 at about 01:00 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N6773U was involved in an accident near Escalante, Utah, United States. 2 people were 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

18 July 2004 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Escalante, Utah, United States

Coordinates

37.7444, -111.3036

Aircraft

Mooney M20C

Registration

N6773U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Escalante → Escalante

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN04LA105

Nobody was injured.

the improper installation of an oil pan quick-drain fitting resulting in the loss of engine oil, failure of the engine, and subsequent impact with terrain following an attempted forced landing. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, approximately 25 minutes into the flight, the engine began to run rough and shake "violently." A few monuments later, blue smoke came out of the engine cowling and filled the cabin. The pilot shut down the engine, and attempted a forced landing to an exposed sand bar adjacent to a river. When the airplane impacted the sand bar, the nose landing gear and both main landing gear assemblies collapsed, substantially damaging the airplane's firewall and both wings. An engine examination revealed that a brass quick-drain fitting, installed in the engine's oil pan, had unscrewed and fallen out. The quick-drain fitting was not secured with safety wire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.