Mooney M20E N3243F
15 August 1999 · Prattsburg, New York, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 15 August 1999 at about 18:00 local time, a Mooney M20E registered N3243F was involved in an accident near Prattsburg, New York, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Prattsburg, New York, United States
- Coordinates
- 42.5191, -77.2903
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E
- Registration
- N3243F
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Elmira → Rochester
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC99LA202
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
Propeller blade separation, resulting from fatigue cracking initiated by intergranular corrosion. A factor was the lack of propeller blade corrosion inspection requirements.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
About 20 minutes into the flight, the pilot heard a loud bang, then saw an object go by the windshield. The airplane started to shake so badly that the door popped open, and oil appeared on the windshield. The pilot shut down the engine, the shaking ceased, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a hilly field. Post-flight examination revealed that approximately 27 inches of one propeller blade was missing. Examination of the remaining fracture surface revealed features typical of fatigue cracking, and metallographic examination of the origin area revealed the grain structure and the presence of intergranular corrosion cracks. Review of maintenance logbooks failed to reveal any indication of 'prop strike,' overspeed, or any other catastrophic event to the propeller. On August 20, 1989, the propeller was removed for overhaul, and for compliance with AD 77-12-06. Since then, it had logged about 530 hours of operation. There were no requirements for mandatory propeller corrosion inspections.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20E accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jan 1999 | Mooney M20E | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1999 | Mooney M20E | Lakeport, California, United States | Lake Aero Styling & Repair | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Jun 1999 | Mooney M20E | Canon City, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1999 | Mooney M20E | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 17 Apr 1999 | Mooney M20E | Brooksville, Kentucky, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 May 1999 | Mooney M20E | Cedar City, Utah, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 May 1999 | Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B | Jamaica, New York, United States | American Eagle Airlines, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Oct 1999 | Cessna 182S | Staatsburg, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1999 | Mooney M20C | Irving, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 May 1999 | Stock S-1S | Westtown, New York, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 May 1999 | Cessna 172K | Shirley, New York, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 27 Oct 1999 | Eurocopter AS-350-BA | Westbury, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |