- Date
- October 13, 1990, 11:10 local (17:10 UTC)
- Place
- Casper, WY
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9732MMooney M20F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901013045099A
- Case key
- 41353
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 loss of engine power due to fatigue fracture of the number 2 cylinder connecting rod. Factors related to the accident were: rough and uneven terrain at the accident site and the lack of suitable terrain for forced landing.
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 pilot made a forced landing after the engine failed. Investigation revealed the number 2 cylinder connecting rod lower yoke was fractured. Metallurgical examination of the rod revealed rotational polishing and galled spots on the inside yoke surfaces and a fatigue fracture of the yoke that originated at the inside surface.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9732M
- Reported as
- Mooney M20F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 670292
- Airframe hours
- 4,388
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Glenn A Watts
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 12, 1989 · 213 hours before
- Departed
- 4AC · Albuquerque, NM
- Destination
- CPR · Casper, WY
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,900 total · 650 in this make and model · 2,800 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 20 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CPR, 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.