# Incident 20230723010949I: Mooney M20B, Vineyard Haven, MA, July 23, 2023

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 23, 2023, 11:02 local time
- Place: Vineyard Haven, MA
- Airport: Katama Airpark
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.3585° N, 70.5245° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at KATAMA AIRPARK (1B2), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.3585&lon=-70.5245&mi=10
- Aircraft: N74565, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N74565) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20B (registry code 5870206, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20B
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 483 total, 315 in this make and model, 16 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230723010949I

## Narrative

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

ON JULY 23, 2023, A 1961 MOONEY M20B, LANDED 2000 FT. SOUTH OF THE KATAMA AIRPARK (1B2) GRASS AIRFIELD IN A HEAVILY VEGETATED PART OF MARTHA’S VINEYARD. THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^PILOT EXPERIENCED ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE, SPUTTERING, LOW OIL PRESSURE, AND TROUBLE MAINTAINING POWER . THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^PILOT HAD TAKEN OFF FROM RUNWAY 3 KATAMA AIRPARK INTENDING ON FLYING THE ISLAND AND PARKING HIS AIRCRAFT AT MARTHA'S VINEYARD AIRPORT (MVY) AND EXPERIENCED ENGINE TROUBLE DURING CRUISE OPERATIONS. THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^PILOT HEADED TOWARDS MVY RUNWAY 15 AFTER CALLING ATC AND DECLARING ENGINE PROBLEMS MAINTAINING POWER. THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^PILOT REALIZED HE WOULD NOT MAKE THE AIRPORT, RADIOED TOWER THE AIRCRAFT WOULD BE LANDING IN A FIELD JUST BEFORE THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN PRIOR TO CRASHING IN THE OVERGROW FIELD ON THE ISLAND SOUTH OF MVY RUNWAY 15. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR POST-CRASH FIRES. THERE WAS NO FUEL SMELL OR LEAKING FUEL AT THE CRASH SITE. THE AIRCRAFT INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO THE FAA OPERATIONS CENTER ATLANTA BY THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD AIRPORT DIRECTOR. THE FAA OPERATION CENTER CALLED  BOSTON FSDO-61 FAA-IIC. MASS STATE AERO EXAMINER CALLED THE FAA IIC FOR INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE. THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE WERE ON THE ACCIDENT SCENE. THE FAA-IIC AND NTSB INVESTIGATOR WERE NOT ON SCENE.

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.

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