19970811021369A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Mooney M20F · Tallahassee, FL · August 11, 1997

Date: August 11, 1997 · 01:25 local
Place: Tallahassee, FL
Airport: Tallahassee Regionall Airport
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N3455X
NTSB investigation: NTSBATL97FA115
Reported as: Mooney M20F
Reported engine: Lycoming IO360A1A
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 2
Pilot’s flight hours: 945 total29 in this make and model263 in the last 90 days

N3455XRegistration cancelled May 3, 2013 · Mooney M20FS/N 67-0033 · Built 1967 Airframe modelMooney M20F

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Lost power night enroute. Crash landed in trees short of emergency airport. Tlh. Crankshaft had broken. (-23) the student pilot and flight instructor was on a cross country flight from new orleans, la to tampa, FL. At approx. 0120 am at 5,000 ft. and approx. 15 NM west of tlh regional airport, they encountered engine problems. At approx. 0124 am the airplane crashed in a densely wooded area approx. 1 mile from the tlh regional airport. The student pilot and flight instrutor were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed by a post crash fire.

As the FAA filed it

LOST POWER NIGHT ENROUTE. CRASH LANDED IN TREES SHORT OF EMERGENCY AIRPORT. TLH. CRANKSHAFT HAD BROKEN. (-23) THE STUDENT PILOT AND FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WAS ON A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT FROM NEW ORLEANS, LA TO TAMPA, FL. AT APPROX. 0120 AM AT 5,000 FT. AND APPROX. 15 NM WEST OF TLH REGIONAL AIRPORT, THEY ENCOUNTERED ENGINE PROBLEMS. AT APPROX. 0124 AM THE AIRPLANE CRASHED IN A DENSELY WOODED AREA APPROX. 1 MILE FROM THE TLH REGIONAL AIRPORT. THE STUDENT PILOT AND FLIGHT INSTRUTOR WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY A POST CRASH FIRE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ATL97FA115Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportTallahassee, FLfatigue failure of the crankshaft for undetermined reasons. Related factors were: darkness, and obstructions (trees) in the emergency landing area.Aug 11, 1997 · Destroyed

Other reports on N3455X · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 19840220003979AFcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise · Defuniak Spring, FLCollided with the ground after the engine quit due to fuel starvation. Fuel selector on empty tank. Other was full.Feb 20, 1984 · Substantial damage