What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On October 24, 2015, at 0753 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20M, N243CW, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain shortly after taking off from worchester regional airport (orh), worchester, Massachusetts. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The airplane was not operating on flight plan for the local personal flight, which was operating under the provisions of 14 code of federal regulations part 91.
Airport security cameras captured partial segments of the flight. The airplane took off from runway 11. One camera showed the airplane in flight, climbing over the intersection of runway 15, or about 1,500 feet from the departure end of the 7,000-foot takeoff runway. Using the height of the airplane's tail as a reference, the airplane was about 80 to 90 feet above the runway surface at that point, still climbing in a slight right turn.
The airplane then flew out of view, reappearing about 16 seconds later, headed in the roughly the opposite direction of takeoff. There was no radar coverage of the area, but based on the approximate height of the control tower, the airplane appeared to be about 200 feet above the ground, in a shallow, climbing right turn. The airplane's nose then began descending, and the right turn intensified. The airplane continued the right, almost nose down turn as it descended into a stand of trees.
The engine had remained attached to the airframe, but was subsequently separated from it and taken to a maintenance garage for further examination. The starter ring did not exhibit any evidence of powered rotation at impact. The crankshaft was rotated by hand at the flange, but could only be rotated a few revolutions before it jammed, and could not be rotated in either direction.
The oil suction screen was removed and found to be contaminated with metal fragments. The accessory case housing was removed, and the no. 5 main bearing was found to be partially extruded out through the crankshaft gear. Holes were also noted in internal portions of the crankcase halves, and the no. 6 connecting rod was observed to be broken.
The engine was subsequently disassembled, and the crankshaft was found to be fractured between the no. 5 and no. 6 cheeks. The camshaft was also broken in the vicinity of the crankshaft fracture, and the interior of the case halves were gouged rotationally, consistent with the damage having occurred awhile the engine was still operating
As the FAA filed it
ON OCTOBER 24, 2015, AT 0753 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A MOONEY M20M, N243CW, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT IMPACTED TERRAIN SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OFF FROM WORCHESTER REGIONAL AIRPORT (ORH), WORCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT OPERATING ON FLIGHT PLAN FOR THE LOCAL PERSONAL FLIGHT, WHICH WAS OPERATING UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91.
AIRPORT SECURITY CAMERAS CAPTURED PARTIAL SEGMENTS OF THE FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANE TOOK OFF FROM RUNWAY 11. ONE CAMERA SHOWED THE AIRPLANE IN FLIGHT, CLIMBING OVER THE INTERSECTION OF RUNWAY 15, OR ABOUT 1,500 FEET FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE 7,000-FOOT TAKEOFF RUNWAY. USING THE HEIGHT OF THE AIRPLANE'S TAIL AS A REFERENCE, THE AIRPLANE WAS ABOUT 80 TO 90 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY SURFACE AT THAT POINT, STILL CLIMBING IN A SLIGHT RIGHT TURN.
THE AIRPLANE THEN FLEW OUT OF VIEW, REAPPEARING ABOUT 16 SECONDS LATER, HEADED IN THE ROUGHLY THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF TAKEOFF. THERE WAS NO RADAR COVERAGE OF THE AREA, BUT BASED ON THE APPROXIMATE HEIGHT OF THE CONTROL TOWER, THE AIRPLANE APPEARED TO BE ABOUT 200 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, IN A SHALLOW, CLIMBING RIGHT TURN. THE AIRPLANE'S NOSE THEN BEGAN DESCENDING, AND THE RIGHT TURN INTENSIFIED. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED THE RIGHT, ALMOST NOSE DOWN TURN AS IT DESCENDED INTO A STAND OF TREES.
THE ENGINE HAD REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE AIRFRAME, BUT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY SEPARATED FROM IT AND TAKEN TO A MAINTENANCE GARAGE FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION. THE STARTER RING DID NOT EXHIBIT ANY EVIDENCE OF POWERED ROTATION AT IMPACT. THE CRANKSHAFT WAS ROTATED BY HAND AT THE FLANGE, BUT COULD ONLY BE ROTATED A FEW REVOLUTIONS BEFORE IT JAMMED, AND COULD NOT BE ROTATED IN EITHER DIRECTION.
THE OIL SUCTION SCREEN WAS REMOVED AND FOUND TO BE CONTAMINATED WITH METAL FRAGMENTS. THE ACCESSORY CASE HOUSING WAS REMOVED, AND THE NO. 5 MAIN BEARING WAS FOUND TO BE PARTIALLY EXTRUDED OUT THROUGH THE CRANKSHAFT GEAR. HOLES WERE ALSO NOTED IN INTERNAL PORTIONS OF THE CRANKCASE HALVES, AND THE NO. 6 CONNECTING ROD WAS OBSERVED TO BE BROKEN.
THE ENGINE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DISASSEMBLED, AND THE CRANKSHAFT WAS FOUND TO BE FRACTURED BETWEEN THE NO. 5 AND NO. 6 CHEEKS. THE CAMSHAFT WAS ALSO BROKEN IN THE VICINITY OF THE CRANKSHAFT FRACTURE, AND THE INTERIOR OF THE CASE HALVES WERE GOUGED ROTATIONALLY, CONSISTENT WITH THE DAMAGE HAVING OCCURRED AWHILE THE ENGINE WAS STILL OPERATING
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.