Mooney M20K N3567H

Summary

On 3 June 2015 at about 02:55 local time, a Mooney M20K registered N3567H was involved in an accident near Fresno, 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.

Date

3 June 2015 at 02:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Fresno, California, United States

Nearest airport

Fresno Chandler Executive (FCH)

Coordinates

36.7356, -119.8236

Aircraft

Mooney M20K

Registration

N3567H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Shafter → Sacramento

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15LA175

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power during cruise flight due to a failure of the No. 1 piston and connecting rod assembly.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. During cruise, the engine experienced a catastrophic failure and a total loss of power. The pilot performed a forced landing to an airport, landed long, and collided with an airport fence. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed internal damage consistent with the initial failure of the No. 1 piston and connecting rod assembly, most likely at the piston end, which caused a cascading failure of the adjacent piston and rod assemblies. Damage to the engine components precluded an accurate assessment of the specific initiating event, and evidence suggested that the engine contained oil at the time of the failure. The engine had been involved in a propeller strike accident about 310 flight hours prior, which required an engine teardown, examination, and replacement of two connecting rods and one piston pin. Maintenance records did not disclose which rods were replaced. Following the repair, the engine went through a 10-year period of inactivity, during which time internal corrosion occurred. No precautionary steps were taken to monitor the effects of the corrosion, such as oil filter examination or oil analysis. The extent to which the corrosion contributed to the failure of the No. 1 piston and connecting rod assembly could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.