Mechanical & Engine Failure · NTSB WPR09FA133
MOONEY M20E — Rio Linda, CA
| Date | February 28, 2009 |
| Location | Rio Linda, CA |
| Aircraft | MOONEY M20E |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Initial climb Loss of engine power (partial) |
| Pilot age | 53 |
| Pilot total time | 824 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 46 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-(general)-(general)-Failure - F
- Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - F
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
The flight was planned to be a maintenance test flight following an annual inspection, which included the installation of a field overhauled engine by the mechanic/passenger. Witnesses reported that a "popping" sound was heard during the takeoff ground roll. After liftoff, they heard the engine surge followed by a puff of black smoke emanating from the right rear of the engine. A videotape recording obtained from a camera located on a nearby building captured the airplane on the initial climb-out before it made a left turn back to the runway. The left wing and nose dropped as the airplane entered a spin prior to descending out of view of the camera. The airplane came to rest in an open field about 300 feet from the end of the runway and was consumed by a post-crash fire. During the postaccident inspection of the airframe and engine, no mechanical failures or malfunctions were found that would have prevented normal operation. The fuel lines, hoses, and fuel pump were too badly fire damaged to be able to determine if any pre-existing malfunctions affected those components.