Mooney 20P N321DT
18 February 2005 · Smith, Alabama, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 18 February 2005 at about 20:23 local time, a Mooney 20P registered N321DT was involved in an accident near Smith, Alabama, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously 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 20:23
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Smith, Alabama, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.5833, -85.0833
- Aircraft
- Mooney 20P
- Registration
- N321DT
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Decator → Columbus
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL05LA051
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
Maintenance personnel failure to properly torque the cylinder head during installation that resulted in the separation from the engine assembly and the subsequent loss of power.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
While on an instrument flight the engine stopped and oil covered the windshield. The pilot declared an emergency and the air traffic controller attempted unsuccessfully to vector the flight to a nearby grass airstrip. The pilot selected an off-airport location for an emergency landing. The airplane collided with a tree while the pilot was maneuvering for the emergency landing. Post-accident examination of the engine revealed that the #2 cylinder assembly had separated from the crankcase. The #2 cylinder was recovered and exhibited fretting on the mating surface of the base flange. Post-accident examination revealed that the torque on the adjacent cylinder hold down nuts were less than what was prescribed for installation. A review of the engine maintenance records revealed that on 12/18/2002, the #1 cylinder assembly was replaced. The cylinder was overhauled by Aviation Engines and installed by North Alabama Aviation. At the time of the accident the engine had accumulated 85.6 hours since the #1 cylinder assembly had been replaced.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney 20 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct 2003 | Mooney 20F | Scottsdale, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Dec 2003 | Mooney 20E | Webster, Wisconsin, United States | Peter C. Naab | Fatal | 2 |
| 28 Dec 2003 | Mooney 20F | Campobello, South Carolina, United States | Floyd C. Redmond | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Jan 2003 | Mooney 20J | Morristown, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Dec 1999 | Mooney 20J | New Milford, Connecticut, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Mar 1999 | Mooney 20G | Naples, Florida, United States | Gulf Coast Airways | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Oct 2005 | Elan/Glaser Dirks DG-300 | Brownsboro, Alabama, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 1 Jul 2005 | Bellanca 7KCAB | Shorter, Alabama, United States | James L Reynolds | No injuries | - |
| 13 Dec 2005 | Cessna 172S | Mobile, Alabama, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 2005 | Beechcraft BE-D35 | Decatur, Alabama, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 10 Sep 2005 | Piper 28 | Andulusia, Alabama, United States | AMS Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jul 2005 | Cessna 172P | Monroeville, Alabama, United States | Eglin Air Force Base Aero Club | No injuries | - |