- Date
- March 28, 1992, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cumberland Is., GA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1975YMooney M20D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920328007719A
- Case key
- 8580
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The loss of the spark plug at a critical point in flight which resulted from the inadequate overhaul of the engine by an unknown person; and the inadvertent stall of the airplane when the pilot failed to maintain airspeed. A factor was the high obstructions (trees) which bounded the runway departure threshold.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
At about 60-70 feet above the ground, during the initial climb after take off, the engine RPM decreased. Hardwood trees bounded the runway departure threshold & the pilot elected to turn back to the airstrip. The airplane stalled, dragged the right wing tip, & collided with the ground. The pilot stated that a spark plug blew out & that the cylinder spark plug hole was fitted with a helicoil.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1975Y
- Reported as
- Mooney M20D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 240
- Airframe hours
- 3,770
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Davis, J.R. & Hill, M.L.
- Registered owner
- Davis, J.R. & Hill, M.L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 2, 2000 · 2 hours before
- Airport
- NONE · Cumberland Is., runway 22, 2,500 × 25 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 895 total · 386 in this make and model · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SSI, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N1975Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.