# Incident 20160905014969I: Mooney M20J, Pozo, CA, September 5, 2016 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: September 5, 2016, 11:29 local time - Place: Pozo, CA - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.3036° N, 120.3765° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Pozo, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.3036&lon=-120.3765&mi=10 - Aircraft: N100NY, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N100NY) (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: LYCOMING I0360 - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160905014969I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. FROM ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^: TOLD ZLA THAT HE HAD A ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE AND WANTED TO RETURN TO SBP BUT NOT DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. APPROX 30 MILES EAST OF SBP N100NY CONTACTED THE PISMO CONTROLLER AND SAID THE SAME THING. HE WAS ENROUTE BACK TO SPB ABOUT 15 MILES EAST IN A SLOW DESCENT AND THE PISMO CONTROLLER SHIPPED N100NY TO SBP TOWER. A MINUTE LATER N100NY RETURNED ON FREQ AND SAID HIS ENGINE QUIT AND THAT HE WOULD BE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LAND. WE LOST RADIO CONTACT WITH N100NY AT APPROX 3000 FEET. AN AIRCRAFT IN THE VICINITY FLEW OVER THE LAST KNOW LOCATION AND REPORTED THE AIRCRAFT HAD LANDED ON AN OLD DIRT STRIP AND BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE WALKING AROUND THE PLANE STATEMENT FROM PILOT: DEPARTED SBP AIRPORT APPROX. 1100AM MONDAY SEPT. 5,2016 ENROUTE TO VGT. VFR FLIGHT FOLLOWING INITIATED WITH SBA DEPARTURE LEAVING 3000AGL. UPON REACHING CRUISE ALTITUDE OF 9500FT EXPERIENCED PARTIAL POWER LOSS. LOCATION APPROX 25NM NORTHEAST OF SBP. TURNED BACK TOWARD SBP. TRIED TO RESTORE POWER BY CHECKING IGNITION, FUEL, MIXTURE, AND FUEL PRESSURE. WAS DESCENDING 300-400FPM WITH PARTIAL POWER AT BEST GLIDE SPEED. NOTIFIED ATC OF OUR STATUS AND INTENTIONS. DESCENDING THROUGH 5000MSL IT BECAME APPARENT THAT A RETURN TO SBP WOULD NOT BE FEASIBLE SET UP FOR A FORCED LANDING AT A DIRT STRIP EAST OF POZO, CA. DECLARED ON EMERGENCY AND STATED OUR INTENTION TO LAND. TRYING TO REMAIN IN A POSITION TO ALWAYS BE WITHIN POWER OFF DISTANCE OF THE STRIP AND CLEAR OF THE TERRAIN APPROACH WAS LESS SLIGHTLY HIGH. CLEARED ALL OBSTACLES BUT TOUCHDOWN WAS APPROX 80-85 KNOTS. ROUGHNESS OF THE SURFACE CAUSED BOUNCING TO OCCUR AND REDUCED BRAKING. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT SLOWED TO A STOPPED IT PIVOTED 90 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT CAUSING GEAR TO COLLAPSE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR FIRE. STATEMENT FROM INDIVIDUALS PERFORMING POST INCIDENT RUN-UP: WE DID AN ENGINE INSPECTION AND TEST RUN. MAGNETO TIMING AND FUEL SERVO SETTINGS APPEARED PROPER. COMPRESSION OF 74 IN ALL CYLINDERS. FUEL FLOWED AT THE PROPER RATE. BOROSCOPE INSPECTION OF THE MUFFLER SHOWED A FEW HEAT RODS MISSING, BUT NO BLOCKAGE. OIL LIKE SUBSTANCE FOUND ON THE #4 SPARK PLUG. LOOKED FOULED. ON START UP, ENGINE RAN POORLY. COULD NOT DEVELOP POWER OFF OF IDLE WITHOUT MISSING AND LOTS OF BLACK GREY SMOKE. WE PLAYED WITH MIXTURE AND THROTTLE SETTINGS AND NO REAL IMPROVEMENT. EVENTUALLY SEEMED TO GET BETTER AS ENGINE WARMED UP, BUT COULD HEAR CYL MISS. RAN IT UP TO ABOUT 1600 RPM AND NOTICED SHARP DROP OFF WHEN SWITCHING TO LEFT MAG. ON A HUNCH WE PULLED THE #4 SPARK PLUG WHICH HAD FOULED AGAIN. AFTER CLEANING THE PLUG ENGINE SEEMED TO RUN NORMAL AT 1600 ON EITHER MAG. WE COULD NOT RUN MORE POWER DUE TO OUR TEST RUN SET UP. NO CONCLUSIONS AT THIS TIME, BUT SUSPECT THERE MIGHT BE A MAG ISSUE. THE MAG HAD 400HRS SINCE THE LAST INSPECTION. ## Other reports on N100NY (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20130112000519I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130112000519I), Jan 12, 2013: Mooney M20J (N100NY), San Carlos, CA, Minor damage. On January 12, 2013 at approximately 1100 aircraft N100NY was attempting to land on runway 12, San Carlos airport, San Carlos, CA. Pilot was directed to extend… 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.