- Date
- March 15, 1992, 19:34 local (Mar 16, 1992, 00:34 UTC)
- Place
- St. Augustine, FL
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N231KFMooney M20K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920315007959A
- Case key
- 33077
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
The separation of the swage between the throttle outer housing and throttle cable resulting in loss of throttle control and the engine reducing to idle power.
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
Plt stated that while in cruise flt at 4,000 feet the engine reduced to idle power over a 30 second period. Movement of the throttle control had no effect on engine power. While attempting a forced landing at an airport the airport could not be reached and the aircraft was ditched in a swamp. Post crash examination of the acft indicated the throttle cable outer housing had separated from the throttle control at a point it is swaged. This allowed the inner control cable to flex and not move the throttle arm. The cause of the separation could not be determined. The engine was operated after the accident with no evidence of failure or malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N231KF
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0052
- Airframe hours
- 1,553
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-GB1, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Garofalo, Joseph Jr.
- Registered owner
- Garofalo, Joseph Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 7, 1991 · 83 hours before
- Departed
- ISO · Kinston, NC
- Destination
- ISM · Kissimmee, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,031 total · 203 in this make and model · 1,802 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CRG, 30 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.