- Date
- January 27, 1988, 17:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- La Porte, IN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6072XMooney M20A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880127001509A
- Case key
- 14038
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 aircraft experienced a complete power failure and while the pilot was attempting to make an emergency landing ran through a fence and between two trees substantially damaging the aircraft. The pilot sustained minor injuries. Post acc invest revealed a failed cylinder. FAA conducted an eng teardown and indicated in their report that the torque values on the cylinders was below manufacturers values for the installation of cylinders.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6072X
- Reported as
- Mooney M20A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1668
- Airframe hours
- 3,306
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Davair, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Davair,Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1987 · 79 hours before
- Departed
- AZO · Kalamazoo, MI
- Destination
- 3HW · Chicago, IL
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,505 total · 65 in this make and model · 3,505 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 240° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GYY, 35 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 N6072X · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.