Mooney M20K N231BQ

Summary

On 31 August 2007 at about 21:45 local time, a Mooney M20K registered N231BQ was involved in an accident near Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. 3 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

31 August 2007 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Fort Wayne International (KFWA)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Mooney M20K

Registration

N231BQ

Category

Airplane

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Auburn → Fishers

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI07LA287

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power due to the fatigue failure of one of the number two cylinder connecting rod bolts.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had just leveled off at 6500 feet, after departure, when the engine vibrated and lost full power. During an attempted return to the departure airport, the pilot realized that he could not make any runway and chose to make a forced landing into a corn field. The airplane was substantially damaged during the forced landing. Postaccident disassembly of the engine disclosed that the number two connecting rod had separated from the crankshaft; one of the connecting rod bolts had sheared. Inspection of the fracture surface of this connecting rod bolt disclosed there were signature marks of metal fatigue across the bolt shear face that had initiated at the surface of the bolt. The number two cylinder had been replaced about 8 hours prior to the accident; however, the connecting rod had not been removed from the crankshaft during the cylinder replacement.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.