20140416012719I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20A · Wichita, KS · April 16, 2014

Date
April 16, 2014 · 12:30 local
Place
Wichita, KS
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N6076X
Reported as
Mooney M20A
Reported engine
Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,100 total15 in this make and model

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.

On April 16, 2014, at approximately 1230 central daylight time (1730 UTC), the airman, a private pilot, and pilot-in-command (PIC) of a Mooney M-20-A series aircraft, was involved in an aircraft incident that resulted from an off-airport emergency landing. The incident aircraft, privacy data omitted, was operated in accordance with visual flight rules (VFR) pursuant to the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed with the Wichita mid-continent airport (kict) automated terminal information service (ATIS) reporting scattered clouds at 20,000 feet above ground level (AGL), visibility greater than 10 statute miles and surface winds from the south at 27 knots gusting to 43 knots. According to the airman, the incident flight originated from the riverside airport (K32), Wichita, Kansas. Prior to this flight, the airman, who had purchased the aircraft approximately four years prior, performed maintenance on the aircraft at near-by airport and then subsequently repositioned the aircraft to K32. According to the airman, both engine and electrical maintenance was performed prior to the aforementioned repositioning flight subsequent incident; the airman is not the holder of an airframe and/or powerplant certificate issued in accordance with 14 CFR part 65, nor was a special flight permit obtained for its repositioning. Prior to takeoff, the airman stated that a thorough pre-flight inspection and engine run-up was completed to ensure operational condition. After takeoff, the airman reported that the aircraft?s engine began losing power as a turn was made to the northeast side of the airport. Due to the loss of substantial engine power, the aircraft was no longer capable of maintaining altitude and therefore a decision to execute an off-airport emergency landed was made; the aircraft?s position, specifically distance from K32 precluded a return to the airport for a landing. The airman elected to land just north of a busy highway and east of a land-fill site. The aircraft did not sustain any damage directly related to the off-airport landing resulting from the loss of engine power; the airman was uninjured. A post-incident inspection of the aircraft revealed several maintenance-related discrepancies and owner-initiated alterations that would inevitably render the aircraft un-airworthy.

As the FAA filed it

ON APRIL 16, 2014, AT APPROXIMATELY 1230 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME (1730 UTC), THE AIRMAN, A PRIVATE PILOT, AND PILOT-IN-COMMAND (PIC) OF A MOONEY M-20-A SERIES AIRCRAFT, WAS INVOLVED IN AN AIRCRAFT INCIDENT THAT RESULTED FROM AN OFF-AIRPORT EMERGENCY LANDING. THE INCIDENT AIRCRAFT, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WAS OPERATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (VMC) PREVAILED WITH THE WICHITA MID-CONTINENT AIRPORT (KICT) AUTOMATED TERMINAL INFORMATION SERVICE (ATIS) REPORTING SCATTERED CLOUDS AT 20,000 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL), VISIBILITY GREATER THAN 10 STATUTE MILES AND SURFACE WINDS FROM THE SOUTH AT 27 KNOTS GUSTING TO 43 KNOTS. ACCORDING TO THE AIRMAN, THE INCIDENT FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE RIVERSIDE AIRPORT (K32), WICHITA, KANSAS. PRIOR TO THIS FLIGHT, THE AIRMAN, WHO HAD PURCHASED THE AIRCRAFT APPROXIMATELY FOUR YEARS PRIOR, PERFORMED MAINTENANCE ON THE AIRCRAFT AT NEAR-BY AIRPORT AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY REPOSITIONED THE AIRCRAFT TO K32. ACCORDING TO THE AIRMAN, BOTH ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE WAS PERFORMED PRIOR TO THE AFOREMENTIONED REPOSITIONING FLIGHT SUBSEQUENT INCIDENT; THE AIRMAN IS NOT THE HOLDER OF AN AIRFRAME AND/OR POWERPLANT CERTIFICATE ISSUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH 14 CFR PART 65, NOR WAS A SPECIAL FLIGHT PERMIT OBTAINED FOR ITS REPOSITIONING. PRIOR TO TAKEOFF, THE AIRMAN STATED THAT A THOROUGH PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTION AND ENGINE RUN-UP WAS COMPLETED TO ENSURE OPERATIONAL CONDITION. AFTER TAKEOFF, THE AIRMAN REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT?S ENGINE BEGAN LOSING POWER AS A TURN WAS MADE TO THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE AIRPORT. DUE TO THE LOSS OF SUBSTANTIAL ENGINE POWER, THE AIRCRAFT WAS NO LONGER CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING ALTITUDE AND THEREFORE A DECISION TO EXECUTE AN OFF-AIRPORT EMERGENCY LANDED WAS MADE; THE AIRCRAFT?S POSITION, SPECIFICALLY DISTANCE FROM K32 PRECLUDED A RETURN TO THE AIRPORT FOR A LANDING. THE AIRMAN ELECTED TO LAND JUST NORTH OF A BUSY HIGHWAY AND EAST OF A LAND-FILL SITE. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY DAMAGE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE OFF-AIRPORT LANDING RESULTING FROM THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER; THE AIRMAN WAS UNINJURED. A POST-INCIDENT INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED SEVERAL MAINTENANCE-RELATED DISCREPANCIES AND OWNER-INITIATED ALTERATIONS THAT WOULD INEVITABLY RENDER THE AIRCRAFT UN-AIRWORTHY.