- Date
- November 4, 1988, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- San Diego, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3875HMooney M20J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 28, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881104049499A
- Case key
- 26290
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
During the initial climb after takeoff, the engine lost partial power. A turn was made to land on rwy 10R, but the pilot was unable to reach the landing area. Subsequently, he made a wheels-up landing short of the runway. An inspectionof the engine revealed evidence of detonation or preignition in the number four cylinder. Another pilot, who had flown the airplane on the previous flight, said that when he was returning to the airport from a long flight, the engine began to vibrate and the oil temp and cylinder head temp rose above the red line. After landing, he notified the operator. The operator reported that a new set of spark plugs were installed after that flight and the engine ran fine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3875H
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-0970
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Flyers Inc.
- Registered owner
- Kinsella, Kenneth J.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 8, 1988 · 116 hours before
- Departed
- MYF
- Airport
- MYF · Montgomery Field, runway 28R, 3,400 × 150 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 156 total · 3 in this make and model · 93 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MYF
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.