# Accident 20031027037539A: Mooney M20J, Ocala, FL, October 27, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 27, 2003, 16:15 local time
- Place: Ocala, FL
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.2667° N, 82.1167° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.2667&lon=-82.1167&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4103H, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4103H-2004-02-10) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20J (registry code 5870219, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20j) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 series (registry code 41515, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20J
- Reported engine: CONT IO360*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,024 total, 500 in this make and model, 22 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA04LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA04LA013) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031027037539A

## Narrative

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

(-23) WHILE APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF JACKSONVILLE, FL ON AN IFR FLIGHT FROM FRANKLIN, NC TO ORLANDO, FL, THE PILOT NOTICED THAT HIS ENGINE OIL PRESSURE HAD DROPPED SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL. HE ADVISED ATC AND REQUESTED VECTORS TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT. DUE TO THUNDERSTORMS IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA, OCALA, FL APPEARED TO BE THE NEAREST SUITABLE AIRPORT FOR LANDING. OIL PRESSURE CONTINUED TO DROP AND THE ENGINE SEIZED APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF OCALA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. ATC ATTEMPTED TO VECTOR THE AIRCRAFT TO GREYSTONE AIRPORT, BUT THE PILOT HAD INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO REACH THE AIRPORT, AND PERFORMED AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FIELD 1 MILE WEST OF GREYSTONE AIRPORT. INITIAL INVESTIGATION OF THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINE REVEALED THE NUMBER 4 CONNECTING ROD PROTRUDING THROUGH THE TOP OF THE ENGINE CASE. A SUBSEQUENT ENGINE INSPECTION BY LYCOMING & FAA REPRESENTATIVES FAILED TO SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFY WHY THE NUMBER 4 CONNECTING ROD BEARINGS BECAME OVERHEATED, RESULTING IN FAILURE OF THE ROD CAP ASSEMBLY, AND DEPARTURE OF THE CONNECTING ROD FROM THE CRANKSHAFT.

## 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 MIA04LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA04LA013), Oct 27, 2003: Mooney M20J (N4103H), Ocala, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: loss of engine power due to oil starvation for undetermined reasons, resulting in an in-flight collision with a fence during a forced landing.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.