Mooney M20F accident near Coral Springs, FL
On September 11, 1997, a Mooney M20F (airplane) was involved in an accident near Coral Springs, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 11, 1997
- Place
- Coral Springs, FL
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 26.310°N, 80.231°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08893
Official records · MIA97FA242
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 11, 1997, about 0801 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20F, N6417Q, registered to B J Aviation, Inc., crashed into a pond near Coral Springs, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 business flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial-rated pilot and an unrestrained dog were fatally injured. The passenger sustained serious injuries. The flight originated about 0752 from the Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. According to the passenger, about 5-10 minutes after takeoff while climbing on a northerly heading through 1,000-1,500 feet with the landing gear retracted, he first observed that the oil pressure dropped to zero momentarily then returned to the normal green arc range. He inquired to the pilot about landing on the Sawgrass Expressway, but the pilot elected not to land there due to the amount of traffic. The pilot began orbiting the area, during which, he then heard a loud sound. The pilot then initiated a descent for a forced landing to an open field. With the landing gear extended and the flaps positioned to the takeoff range, while in a nose and right wing-low attitude, the right wing collided with water in a pond about 10 yards from the water's edge. The airplane then cartwheeled to the right and began sinking. The passenger exited the airplane out the cabin entry door, but the pilot did not escape. The passenger further stated that at the time he first noticed the drop in oil pressure, he thought the airplane was abe
Probable cause
The pilot's misjudging the distance vs. altitude resulting in the collision with the water short of the intended touchdown point of the rough field. Contributing to the accident was the total loss of engine power due to failure of the No. 3 cylinder connecting rod bearing for undetermined reasons and fatigue failure of the No. 3 cylinder connecting rod and piston pin end plugs.
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Browse: Florida · Mooney aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
