DFW06FA110

History of flight

On April 22, 2006, about 1252 central daylight time, a single-engine Mooney M20K airplane, N231GE, was destroyed during a forced landing following a reported loss of engine power shortly after takeoff from the Golden Triangle Regional Airport (GTR), near Columbus, Mississippi. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The 585-nautical mile cross-country flight was originating at the time of the accident and was destined for the Eppley Airfield (OMA), near Omaha, Nebraska.

An eyewitness traveling east along Highway 82, which was located about one and a half miles north of the departure end of Runway 36 and consisted of four traffic lanes oriented in an east west direction, observed the accident airplane fly across the highway in a north to south direction towards the airport. The witness described the airplane as flying at a lower altitude compared to others he had seen approaching GTR. He further reported that the airplane's landing gear appeared to be in the retracted position.

According to a friend of the pilot, the pilot arrived at GTR on April 16, 2006. While visiting, the pilot mentioned to her that on the trip from OMA the airplane wasn't producing "normal" engine power while at 13,000 feet. The pilot also stated that on the trip to GTR he had to descend to get additional engine power. The friend further stated that the pilot had requested a mechanic examine the airplane during his visit.

On the day of the accident the friend had taken the pilot to the airport. When they arrived at the airport the pilot requested the fuel tanks be topped off. While the lineman was adding additional fuel to the airplane the pilot had mentioned his concern about water contamination and proceeded to sump the airplane's fuel tanks several times. The friend also heard the pilot perform an engine run up and heard the airplane depart. She reported hearing no anomalies.

The lineman, who was employed by RAS Aviation, Inc., provided a statement to the NTSB investigator-in charge (IIC). According to the lineman, while the pilot was paying for fuel that had been added several days earlier the pilot expressed that the airplane should have taken more fuel. After the airplane was pulled from the hangar, the pilot requested the airplane be topped off again. The lineman proceeded to service the airplane with an additional 4.6 gallons of 100 Low Lead aviation fuel. When the lineman last observed the airplane it was on the taxiway preparing to depart.

The IIC interviewed the airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic that examined the airplane during the pilot's visit. According to the mechanic, the pilot had reported to him that during takeoff the airplane's engine had been indicating 37 inches of manifold pressure. However, during the last four flights the engine power decreased noticeably during climb out. The pilot reported that he didn't think the engine was getting "full throttle" when he reached an altitude of 8,000 to 9,000 feet. The pilot further reported having an alternator problem.

The pilot asked the mechanic to remove the engine's cowling and perform a visual inspection of the engine. According to the mechanic his visual inspection revealed no obvious anomalies. Following the visual inspection the pilot instructed the mechanic to reinstall the engine cowling and informed him that he intended to have the airplane checked out further when he returned to OMA. The mechanic stated that he did nothing more to the airplane then remove the engine cowling, perform the visual inspection, and reinstall the engine cowling. An engine runup was not performed.

On April 24, 2006, personnel from Elliott Aviation, located in Omaha, Nebraska, provided the IIC with a statement concerning two conversations they had with the pilot via telephone while he was in Columbus, Mississippi. The first conversation occurred on April 19, 2006, between the pilot and Elliott Aviation's Assistant Service Manager (ASM). According to the ASM, the pilot stated that he observed a lack of turbo boost power at altitude while on his trip to GTR. The pilot continued that the engine power appeared to return to normal at lower altitudes. The ASM suggested that he find a mechanic at GTR to remove the cowling and perform a visual inspection of the engine to look for defects. The pilot agreed and the conversation ended.

The second conversation between the pilot and Elliott Aviation's ASM occurred on April 20, 2006. The pilot reported that he had found a mechanic to inspect the engine and that nothing out of the ordinary was found. The pilot further reported that the airplane's alternator would not come on line during idle; however, once the engine RPM reached 1,100 the alternator would respond "normally." The pilot then stated that he intended to fly the airplane back to OMA and requested that personnel from Elliott Aviation "look into the matter of low power at altitude" and the alternator problem upon his return. During the conversation the ASM asked the pilot if the airplane could make full power during a ground run to which the pilot responded that he believed so. The pilot added that he would do a ground run before his departure from GTR. There were no further conversations between Elliott Aviation and the pilot.

A review of the airport security camera tapes revealed that the pilot performed a preflight inspection of the airplane beginning about 1210. The engine was started about 1232 with takeoff at 1247.

Pilot information

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. The pilot also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical was issued on October 26, 2004, with the limitation of "MUST WEAR CORRECTIVE LENSES FOR NEAR AND DISTANT VISION."

An examination of the pilot's logbook indicated an estimated total flight time of 2,410 hours; of which 1,122 hours were in this make and model of airplane. The pilot had logged 13 hours in the last 90 days and 4 in the last 30 days. The pilot's last noted flight review was via the completion of WINGS program phase five on March 11, 2006.

Aircraft information

The 1979-model Mooney M20K, serial number 25-0233, was a low wing airplane, with retractable landing gear, and configured for four occupants. The airplane was powered by a direct drive, horizontally opposed, fuel injected, air-cooled, turbo-charged, six-cylinder engine. The engine, a Continental TSIO-360-GB-CLB (1), serial number 309720, was rated at 210-horsepower at 2,700 rpm, and was driving a two-bladed constant speed McCauley propeller.

According to the airframe logbook, the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on October 12, 2005, at an airframe total time of 2,347-hours. At the time of the accident, the airframe had accumulated approximately 2,367-hours, with 20-hours since the last inspection.

The engine logbook revealed that the engine had been inspected in accordance with an annual inspection on October 12, 2005. At the time of the accident, the engine had accumulated approximately 216-hours since its last major overhaul.

Meteorological information

At 1300, the weather observation facility at GTR reported, wind from 350 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear of clouds, temperature 79 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 57 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.05 inches of Mercury.

Communications

The following transcript was compiled by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) from a r