- Date
- August 23, 1994, 15:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Marion, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N778RMooney M-20B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940823022779A
- Case key
- 8965
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
Inadequate maintenance which resulted in the throttle cable becoming disconnected from the carburetor.
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 airplane lost engine power after about an hour of flight that included the pilot practicing maneuvers and doing touch and go landings. The pilot did a forced landing into a cornfield where the airplane struck a ditch. The pilot reported that before the power loss occurred, he had first slowed and then tried to accelerate the airplane, but the engine did not respond to throttle application. Examination of the airplane revealed the throttle cable disconnected from the carburetor.
Factual narrative
On August 23, 1994, about 1545 hours eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20B, N778R, a personal flight, lost engine power and was forced landed in a field at Marion, Ohio. Visual meteorologicl conditions existed. The pilot and passenger were not injured The airplane was substantially damaged. The departure point was Marion, Ohio. The local flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91.
After takeoff, the pilot climbed to 3000 feet msl and practiced some manuevers. He returned to Marion and did touch and go landings. He departed Marion and shortly afterward the power loss occurred after he first slowed and then tried to accelerate the airplane.
According to the pilot, "I then experienced throttle failure, moved free in and out with no response. I tried for Marion, could not make airport. (I) looked for a suitable landing, lined up with road, gear down and locked, I secured engine for landing.
As I touched (down) the left wing caught a field of corn turning aircraft into a ditch.
Examination of the airplane revealed the throttle cable had disconnected from the carburetor.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N778R
- Reported as
- Mooney M-20B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1903
- Airframe hours
- 2,640
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Chris Robinson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 1994 · 11 hours before
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
- 30
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 950 total · 1 in this make and model · 900 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.