Mooney M20C N3529H

Summary

On 16 April 2007 at about 13:30 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N3529H was involved in an accident near Sidney, Ohio, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 April 2007 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Sidney, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Sidney Municipal Airport (I12)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Mooney M20C

Registration

N3529H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sidney → Chandler

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI07LA121

1 person had minor injuries.

The total loss of engine power during initial climb due to oil starvation as a result of improper maintenance. The fixed base operator's failure to advise the pilot that the engine had been operated without oil in the engine and soft terrain were factors.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, he noticed that the engine was "slowing down." While attempting to return to the airport, the engine came to a "complete and abrupt stop, as if it seized up." The airplane was about 500 feet above ground level when the pilot executed a forced landing to a field. He lowered the landing gear, but the field was soft and the airplane sustained substantial damage during the landing roll. The engine teardown inspection revealed that the damage to the engine components was consistent with oil starvation. The mechanic who conducted the annual maintenance inspection had not put oil, the oil filter, or the belly skins back on the airplane when he had signed the maintenance logbook indicating that the airplane was in an airworthy condition. The fixed base operator, who employed the mechanic, reported that he ran the engine without engine oil, but he did not notify the pilot that the engine had been run without oil.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.