Mooney M20J N511G

Summary

On 1 March 2006 at about 17:40 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N511G was involved in an accident near Fort Pierce, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 March 2006 at 17:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Pierce, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

St. Lucie County International (FPR)

Coordinates

27.4903, -80.3683

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N511G

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Pierce → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA06LA058

1 person had minor injuries.

Improper magneto installation by maintenance personnel, which resulted in the magneto detaching from the engine and subsequent loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that about 8 to 10 minutes after takeoff, while still climbing, at an altitude of about 5,000 feet, the airplane lost engine power. The pilot further stated that the gauges showed about 1,000 rpm, and the manifold pressure remained at 25 inches. He turned around and returned to the airport and made attempts to restart the engine, all of which were unsuccessful. The pilot made a forced landing to a clearing short of the airport property, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. A postcrash examination of the airplane revealed that the dual magneto had detached from its mounted position, and was hanging by the ignition harness behind the engine. The magneto had not incurred any damage, and the magneto drive gear was laying in the accessory housing along with one hold-down plate. The retaining nuts, washers and lock washers were not recovered. When tested, the magneto operated on all eight distributor outputs. The impulse coupler was not damaged, and the distributor wiring was intact. There was engine continuity, proper valve action, and compression on all cylinders. Engine oil was present, and there was evidence of some oil having leaked at the back of the engine. No anomalies were noted with either the induction or fuel systems. The airplane had last received an annual inspection on August 2005 when an overhauled engine had been installed. It had accumulated 10 hours since the annual inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.