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20150603007659I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Mooney M20K · Wharton, TX · June 3, 2015

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 3, 2015 · 11:45 local
Place
Wharton, TX
Phase of flight
Climb
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N321JY
Reported as
Mooney M20K
Reported engine
Continental TSIO-360-CB
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
562 total200 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days

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.

Private pilot on a personal local flight conducting instrument flight and instrument approaches practice. After completing a GPS approach into runway 14 at Wharton regional airport (arm), the pilot executed a touch and go landing followed by an immediate departure to the southeast. At approximately 600 feet AGL during the climb the engine suddenly lost all power. All attempts by the pilot to restore power were unsuccessful. The pilot executed a gear up landing into a soft water soaked grass field approximately one and one half nautical miles from the departure end of runway.

The aircraft sustained minor damage. The propeller was bent in a manner indicating low or no power was being produced by the engine. The wings, empennage and all control surfaces visible appeared to be intact with no damage. The pitot tube was broken off from the underside of the left wing and antenna possibly for the ILS or localizer was found approximately 30 yard from the aircraft in the ground scars.

Inspection of the engine bay showed blue stains from leaking fuel on the top of the right side of the engine and on top of the right cylinder banks. A brass fitting from the fuel pump to the right side of the throttle body was broken flush with the throttle body surface.

As the FAA filed it

PRIVATE PILOT ON A PERSONAL LOCAL FLIGHT CONDUCTING INSTRUMENT FLIGHT AND INSTRUMENT APPROACHES PRACTICE. AFTER COMPLETING A GPS APPROACH INTO RUNWAY 14 AT WHARTON REGIONAL AIRPORT (ARM), THE PILOT EXECUTED A TOUCH AND GO LANDING FOLLOWED BY AN IMMEDIATE DEPARTURE TO THE SOUTHEAST. AT APPROXIMATELY 600 FEET AGL DURING THE CLIMB THE ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER. ALL ATTEMPTS BY THE PILOT TO RESTORE POWER WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE PILOT EXECUTED A GEAR UP LANDING INTO A SOFT WATER SOAKED GRASS FIELD APPROXIMATELY ONE AND ONE HALF NAUTICAL MILES FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY.

THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. THE PROPELLER WAS BENT IN A MANNER INDICATING LOW OR NO POWER WAS BEING PRODUCED BY THE ENGINE. THE WINGS, EMPENNAGE AND ALL CONTROL SURFACES VISIBLE APPEARED TO BE INTACT WITH NO DAMAGE. THE PITOT TUBE WAS BROKEN OFF FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE LEFT WING AND ANTENNA POSSIBLY FOR THE ILS OR LOCALIZER WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 30 YARD FROM THE AIRCRAFT IN THE GROUND SCARS.

INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE BAY SHOWED BLUE STAINS FROM LEAKING FUEL ON THE TOP OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE AND ON TOP OF THE RIGHT CYLINDER BANKS. A BRASS FITTING FROM THE FUEL PUMP TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE THROTTLE BODY WAS BROKEN FLUSH WITH THE THROTTLE BODY SURFACE.