19990629022399A

(.19) On June 29, 1999, bout 1240 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20F, N7114V, registered to a private individual, operating as a title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight, crashed short of the runway at Causey Airport, Liberty, NC, attempting a forced landing, following a simultaneous in-flight fire and engine failure while in cruise flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and the flight was under ARTCC flight following. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the private-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated from newport news, Virginia, about 1 hour 10 minutes before the accident. According to FAA inspectors, the flight was en route to charlotte, NC, at 6,500 feet MSL, when the pilot reported engine problems and asked for a vector to the nearest airport. As the pilot was given vectors to Causey, the engine quit and the cockpit filled with smoke. The airplane touched down 300 feet short of the runway and hit a berm, shearing the right main landing gear assembly and breaking the left wheel at the axle. Examination revealed a failed muffler and outer exhaust shroud that allowed engine exhaust to impinge on and melt components of the induction system. (-23)enroute from newport news to mooresville, NC, pilot was in contact with gso ATC on flight flollowing procedures at 6500 MSL. Wilosn reported to ATC he was experiencing a rough running engine and requested immediate vectors to nearest airport. While being vectored to 2A5, engine quit running wilson set up for a dead stick landing at 2A5 over airport. As he was gliding on a downwind leg, cockpit began to fill with smoke. With vision obsured, he attempted landing on rwy 20 and touched down 300 feet short of runway. Gear down, aircraft struck road embankment and sheared off right main gear. Left wheel broke off at axel. Aircraft continued forward and skidded onto runway with only nose gear. Nose tire flat and damaged from fire. Aircraft continued skidding another 300 feet and stopped just off runway on a heading of 200 degrees. Aircraft smoldering but fire believed to have entinguished itself at this time. (.4)on June 29, 1999, about 1240 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20F, N7114V, registered to a private individual, operating as a title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight, crashed short of the runway at Causey Airport, Liberty, north carolina. The pilot was attempting a forced landing following an in-flight engine failure and subsequent smoke in the cabin. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the private-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated from newport news, Virginia, about 1 hour 10 minutes before the accident. According to the pilot, he was in cruise flight at 6,500 feet MSL, when he heard the engine start to run rough. Two to 3 minutes later, the engine stopped altogether, and he steered toward the Causey Airport for a forced landing. He was in the landing pattern when the cabin filled with smoke. He touched down short of the runway into rough terrain, causing damage to the landing gear. In follow-up phone conversation, he stated he does not remember hearing any unusual engine noises during start or en route, nor does he remember any increase of level of exhaust noise. He did say, however, that he uses noise attenuating earphones that are very effective. According to an FAA inspector, the airplane touched down 300 feet short of the runway and hit a berm, shearing the right main landing gear assembly and fracturing the left wheel at the axle. Postcrash examination revealed that in addition to the main gear damage, the nose tire was burned and deflated, and the fuselage bottom aft of the firewall was heat stressed and cracked. The muffler shroud had a 2 x 3 inch hole and the muffler had a 4 x 4 inch hole blown out of their respective side walls and welded seams. Portions of the lower plenum/air induction system were melted. The muffler and shroud were shipped to the NTSB materials laboratory for failure analysis examination. The muffler walls revealed scaling and intergranular attack that eventually became cracks, and in the case of the perforated inlet pipes, disintegration. This allowed the undiffused exhaust gases to directly impinge on the muffler walls, accelerating the aging process. The Mooney M20 series service and maintenance manual and 100-hour annual inspection guide state that the exhaust heater shroud should be removed and inspected and the muffler inspected for corrosion, fatigue and/or welding cracks, and any other apparent damage during annual inspections. According to airplane maintenance records, this engine and airframe underwent an annual inspection on January 21, 1999, and had accumulated 30 hours since the inspection.