Mooney M20J N4232H
30 September 2002 · Oakley, Idaho, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 30 September 2002 at about 22:30 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N4232H was involved in an accident near Oakley, Idaho, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 22:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Oakley, Idaho, United States
- Coordinates
- 42.2450, -113.8794
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J
- Registration
- N4232H
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Grand Junction → Boise
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA02LA187
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
Failure (fracture) of the two number four piston compression rings, leading to the erosion of a section of the piston sidewall, resulting in the exhaustion of the engine's oil supply during cruise flight, followed by a forced landing on a country road. Factors include mail boxes mounted on metal poles immediately adjacent to the side of the road.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During cruise flight, the aircraft began to lose oil pressure, and the propeller rpm stopped responding to the position of the propeller governor control lever. Eventually the engine oil pressure dropped to zero, and the pilot elected to attempt a forced landing on a country road. Although the touchdown was successful, during the landing roll, the aircraft's wings collided with mailboxes mounted on steel poles situated immediately adjacent to the side of the road. It was later determined that both compression rings on the number four piston had failed (fractured), and that a portion of the piston outer wall near the piston dome had eroded away allowing loss of a majority of the engine's oil through the engine exhaust system.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20J accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jan 2002 | Mooney M20J | Lake Placid, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Nov 2002 | Mooney M20J | Fullerton, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Oct 2002 | Mooney M20J | Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 May 2002 | Mooney M20J | Charleston, South Carolina, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Oct 2002 | Mooney M20J | Englewood, Colorado, United States | Steven M. Potter | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jun 2002 | Mooney M20J | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | Northland Aircraft Services | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Aug 2002 | Piper PA-22/20 | Shearer, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Sep 2002 | Piper PA-28-180 | Yellow Pine, Idaho, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 12 Mar 2002 | Piper PA-31 | Atlanta, Idaho, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 16 Jun 2002 | Stinson 108-1 | Heyburn, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2002 | Beechcraft C-35 | Nampa, Idaho, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2002 | Cessna R172K | Salmon, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |