- Date
- October 13, 1990, 15:10 local (19:10 UTC)
- Place
- Culpeper, VA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N987CMMooney M20M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901013045109A
- Case key
- 11635
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
Intergranular cracking (fatigue) failure of the exhaust clamp, which resulted in a disconnected exhaust manifold (tailpipe), and subsequent fire in the engine compartment.
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
The pilot indicated that during an approach to land, he noted the smell of a possible overheat condition, but the odor went away. He checked the acft after landing, but did not notice any discrepancies. He took off shortly afterwards, and during the climbout, smoke began filling the cabin. The smoke emerged from the area of the rudder pedals and flames appeared soon afterwards. The plt turned back to the airport and landed gearup. The acft slid off the runway and into a ditch. A fire erupted, but the plt and pax escaped the acft. An investigation revealed intergranular cracking of the clamp that connected the turbocharger and tailpipe.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N987CM
- Reported as
- Mooney M20M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-0013
- Airframe hours
- 199
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-AFIA, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Charles M. Hunter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · May 18, 1990 · 74 hours before
- Departed
- W49
- Destination
- W10 · Manassas, VA
- Airport
- W49 · Culpeper, runway 4, 4,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 62
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 193 in this make and model · 1,885 as pilot in command · 83 in the last 90 days · 37 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.70 inHg
- Observed at
- IAD, 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.