Mooney M20C N6090Q
21 September 2010 · Visalia, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 21 September 2010 at about 16:40 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N6090Q was involved in an accident near Visalia, California, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 16:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Visalia, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Visalia Municipal (VIS)
- Coordinates
- 36.3186, -119.3928
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C
- Registration
- N6090Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Visalia Municipal → Visalia Municipal
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR10LA465
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
A partial loss of engine power during takeoff, which resulted from the failure of the spark plug retention mechanism.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot applied full engine power, took off, and climbed to about 300 feet above the runway. The engine suddenly lost partial power, and the pilot elected to return to the airport for a forced landing. The airplane’s altitude was insufficient to complete the turn, and the airplane impacted the ground adjacent to the departure runway, substantially damaging the right wing. An examination of the engine revealed that the retention mechanism for the bottom No. 3 spark plug failed and the spark plug had blown out of its cylinder. Its failure appeared related to excessive wear and the loosening over time of the Heli-Coil insert. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, evidence of the Heli-Coil’s loosening would not, necessarily, have been apparent to a mechanic during routine maintenance.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20C accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jul 2011 | Mooney M20C | Grace, Idaho, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 10 Oct 2009 | Mooney M20C | Marathon, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Jul 2009 | Mooney M20C | Elma, Washington, United States | Donald C Mead | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Aug 2011 | Mooney M20C | Allen, Oklahoma, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Nov 2009 | Mooney M20C | Fairview, North Carolina, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Sep 2011 | Mooney M20C | Kokomo, Indiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 2010 | Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B | Courtland, California, United States | Walter Avery | Serious injuries | - |
| 7 Mar 2010 | Cessna 172P | Camarillo Airport, California, United States | Channel Islands Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 2010 | Piper PA-30 | Merced, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Oct 2010 | Robinson R22 BETA | Long Beach, California, United States | Temco Sky Networks | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 2010 | Rans COYOTE II S6 | Lincoln, California, United States | Michael S. Gorden | Fatal | 2 |
| 12 Oct 2010 | Boeing A75N1(PT17) | Palm Springs, California, United States | Kent Thomas | No injuries | - |