Mooney M20C N6833N

Summary

On 21 August 2017 at about 00:55 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N6833N was involved in an accident near Palm Coast, Florida, 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

21 August 2017 at 00:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Palm Coast, Florida, United States

Coordinates

29.4772, -81.1369

Aircraft

Mooney M20C

Registration

N6833N

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palm Coast → Fort Lauderdale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA17LA284

Nobody was injured.

A crack in the No. 4 cylinder head, which resulted in engine roughness, a fuel leak, a loss of engine power, and the subsequent in-flight fire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During takeoff and the initial climb for the personal flight, the commercial pilot noticed that the engine was losing power. When the airplane reached about 400 ft above ground level, the engine lost total power. During touchdown for the subsequent forced landing to a road, the pilot noticed flames coming into the cockpit near the passenger's feet; both occupants egressed as quickly as possible after landing. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the cabin was consumed by fire; the fire appeared to have originated in the vicinity of the engine side of the firewall, forward of the copilot-side rudder pedals. Examination of the engine revealed that the No. 4 cylinder head was cracked from the exhaust valve to one of the spark plug holes. The fuel pressure gauge line was burnt about 3 inches from the carburetor. A witness had reported that the airplane's engine was running roughly and "shaking" before the accident. Thus, it is likely that increased engine vibration from the cracked No. 4 cylinder resulted in a loosened fuel line fitting and fuel leak, which subsequently led to the loss of engine power and in-flight fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.