# Accident 19971228042769A: Mooney M20F, Ferncliff, VA, December 28, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 28, 1997, 12:25 local time
- Place: Ferncliff, VA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.0096° N, 77.9895° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.0096&lon=-77.9895&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9717M, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9717M-2000-10-26) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20F (registry code 5870214, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20f) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20F
- Reported engine: LYC IO360A1A
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 607 total, 350 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC98LA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA056) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971228042769A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ENGINE OIL TEMP. PROBE BACKED OUT OF CASE, NO SIGN OF SAFETY WIRE. ENGINE SIEZED. GAER UP FIELD LANDING. (.4)THE AIRPLANE WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 10,500 FEET WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH.  THE PILOT SAID AFTER 30 SECONDS THE ENGINE SEIZED AND WOULD NOT TURN OVER.  THE AIRPLANE WAS 4 MILES EAST OF AN AIRPORT AT THE TIME OF THE POWER LOSS, HOWEVER, THE PILOT CHOSE TO TURN TOWARDS AN AIRPORT 20 MILES TO THE NORTH BECAUSE IT APPEARED ON THE 'NEAREST AIRPORT' DISPLAY OF THE LORAN EQUIPMENT ON BOARD THE AIRPLANE.  THE PILOT DETERMINED HE WOULD NOT REACH THE INTENDED AIRPORT AND PERFORMED A FORCED LANDING TO A FIELD.  REMOVAL OF THE ENGINE COWLING REVEALED AN OIL SOAKED ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THAT 2 QUARTS OF OIL REMAINED IN THE SUMP.  THE OIL TEMPERATURE PROBE WAS FREE OF THE ENGINE CASE; ATTACHED ONLY TO THE ELECTRICAL LEAD.  THE THREADED PORTION OF THE PROBE AND ITS CORRESPONDING ATTACHMENT POINT ON THE ENGINE WERE UNDAMAGED.  THE PROBE'S COPPER 'CRUSH' WASHER DISPLAYED EVIDENCE OF COMPRESSION, HOWEVER, NO EVIDENCE OF SAFETY WIRE WAS FOUND ON THE PROBE OR THE ENGINE CASE. THE ENGINE WAS OVERHAULED 30 DAYS AND 10 FLIGHT HOURS PRIOR TO T                                             HE ACCIDENT. THE OIL TEMPERTURE PROBE WAS AN AIRFRAME ITEM WAS REMOVED AND REINSTALLED AFTER THE ENGINE OVERHAUL.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC98LA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA056), Dec 28, 1997: Mooney M20F (N9717M), Ferncliff, VA, destroyed. Probable cause: the improper installation of the engine oil temperature probe which resulted in oil starvation and a total loss of engine power. A factor in the accident was the pilot's overflight of available…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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