History of Flight
On July 11, 2014, at 1419 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20M, registration N72FG, collided with terrain shortly after takeoff from Greenwood Municipal Airport (HFY), Greenwood, Indiana. The private pilot/airplane owner was fatally injured, and the certified flight instructor (CFI) on board received serious injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged by impact and a postimpact fire. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal/training flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was departing under visual flight rules (VFR). The intended destination was East Texas Regional Airport (GGG), Longview, Texas.
The purpose of the flight was to reposition the airplane to Texas for an annual inspection and for the private pilot to receive instrument flight instruction en route. The CFI stated that the private pilot filed his flight plan inside the fixed base operator (FBO). After taxiing to the runway, the private pilot received a departure clearance different from what he filed, which took time to understand, causing the clearance void time to lapse. The CFI discussed options: depart VFR and pick up an IFR clearance en route, or get a pop-up clearance. They then connected the oxygen system and performed a normal engine run-up. The CFI did not recall subsequent events.
Numerous witnesses reported seeing and hearing the airplane before and during takeoff. The engine sounded normal during taxi and run-up. The airplane remained at the runway end for 10 to 15 minutes before departure. Witnesses observed blue smoke trailing near the start of the takeoff ground roll on runway 19 (5,100 ft by 75 ft). Accounts varied: some heard loud popping or misfiring, others described the engine as very loud. The airplane became airborne and climbed to about 50–100 feet when it passed the FBO. Witnesses reported the engine popping and misfiring, the nose lowering slightly as if to land, then rising again. The airplane climbed slowly and wallowed, with nose pitching up and down, reaching about 100–150 feet. Landing gear remained extended. Witnesses at the north end did not hear the engine as the airplane turned south. A witness in a parking lot south of the airport saw the airplane at treetop level (less than 100 feet), heard the engine at idle or low power, and then lost sight as it descended behind trees.
The airplane impacted two houses and a garage about half a mile from the departure end of the runway. Two witnesses who saw the descent responded and pulled the CFI from the wreckage before fire engulfed the airplane. One witness checked the pilot's pulse and found none.
Personnel Information
Private Pilot: Held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land rating (issued April 2, 1999) and a third-class medical (June 26, 2013). Most recent flight review was July 24, 2013, in the accident airplane. Logbooks showed total time of 434.7 hours; 103 hours in Mooney M20 airplanes (starting June 2010). He logged 9.9 hours in the accident airplane in the three days before the accident. He had an instrument knowledge test endorsement (January 27, 2014) and an instrument rating practical test signoff (August 31, 2013), but no FAA record of taking the tests.
Certified Flight Instructor: Held commercial pilot and flight instructor certificates with single-engine land and instrument ratings. Instructor certificate expired August 31, 2015. Second-class medical with corrective lenses (November 1, 2013). Reported 1,610 total flight hours, including 67 hours in Mooney M20 airplanes (57 as instructor). First flew with the pilot in June 2012; they completed 13 instrument training flights, last being the day before the accident.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a Mooney M20M (serial number 27-0118), a single-engine, four-place design with retractable tricycle landing gear. Powered by a 310-horsepower Lycoming TIO-540-AF1B six-cylinder turbocharged engine (serial RL-5317-61A) and a three-blade McCauley B3B32C417-C propeller. The last annual inspection was July 16, 2013, at 1,754.8 hours total time (engine 795.1 hours since overhaul). The last logbook entry (April 1, 2014) indicated an oil change at 1,797.8 hobbs hours. The pilot logged 26.1 hours since the oil change, estimated total time at accident: 1,823.9 hours.
The airplane was en route to a Mooney service center for a routine annual inspection; the service center representative was unaware of any specific problems. Fuel records show two refuelings the day before the accident, the last at 2126 adding 38.33 gallons.
The pilot purchased the airplane on June 15, 2012. An Airworthiness Directive (2012-19-01) was not complied with; the engine was removed in March 2013 for compliance, involving replacement of the crankshaft and repair of crankcase, camshaft, cylinders, and fuel pump. The engine was reinstalled in July 2013.
The local mechanic who serviced the oxygen system just before the accident stated the airplane sounded good during taxi and run-up.
Meteorological Information
Weather at Indianapolis International Airport (IND), 13 miles northwest of HFY, at 1454: wind variable at 4 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 5,500 ft and 25,000 ft, temperature 26°C, dew point 12°C, altimeter 30.19 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was 0.46 miles from the departure end of runway 19. The left wing contacted a garage roof; the wingtip embedded in the roof. An outboard section of the left wing was found on a driveway. The airplane separated gutters from a house and impacted a cement pad. The first ground scar was about 12 ft long; a second scar about 10 ft long and 12 inches deep contained the pitot tube. The airplane then went through a chain link fence into a backyard, contacting a riding lawn mower and separating a metal awning from a house.
Witnesses initially saw a small fire near the engine; they used a garden hose, but the fuselage became engulfed in flames.
The engine separated from the firewall; the propeller remained attached. The fuselage was burned from firewall to empennage; the cockpit floor burned, but the underside was not. The left wing separated; inboard section burned, outboard section bent up and rearward. Both flap and aileron separated. Control continuity was established. The right wing remained attached; outboard half bent up and rearward; aileron and flap attached. Fuel was visible in the right wing tank. The main fuel line from firewall to fuel pump was severed; approximately 23 gallons drained from the right tank, indicating the fuel selector was on the right tank. The fuel filter contained clean fuel with minor debris.
The empennage was bent and partially separated; elevator and rudder remained attached. The rudder control tube separated. Pitch trim was in takeoff position. Cockpit instrumentation was destroyed. Throttle and mixture controls were full forward; propeller control was missing.
Engine and Propeller: One propeller blade bent rearward near the butt; outer third of second blade twisted; third blade twisted mid-span with nicks. Hub smashed with minor torsional twisting. Dip stick had no oil, but no evidence of oil starvation; large oil stain on ground. Engine crankshaft rotated; valve train continuity established; compression and suction on all cylinders; no anomalies via boroscope. Number 2 lower spark plug obstructed; number 6 lower plug had impact damage and was wet with oil; other plugs showed normal wear. Fuel flow divider diaphragm intact; injector nozzles clear except number 2 cylinder partially obstructed. Engine-driven fuel pump turned freely; fuel inlet screen clear. Upper deck pressure line to number 2 cylinder was disconnected and bent 90°, with soot and debris inside. Turbocharger wheel rotated freely; no scoring. Intercooler and differential controller sustained impact damage.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on July 12, 2014, attributed the private pilot's death to blunt force injuries sustained in the accident. FAA toxicology results were negative for all tested substances.
Tests and Research
An EDM-700/800 engine monitor was recovered but had missing components; no data could be retrieved.
Magnetos sustained heat damage; internal components melted; aftermarket points intact but functional test not possible due to thermal damage.
Engine-driven fuel pump operated but leaked due to melted o-ring and gasket from fire.
Fuel injection servo functioned to specifications on test bench.
Upper deck pressure lines, nozzles, and orifices were examined at the NTSB Materials Laboratory. The #2 pressure line had a 90° bend and thermal damage. Debris consistent with damaged fuel hose material was found inside the #2 line. X-rays of clamp positions on #1 and #2 lines showed consistency.
A test on an exemplar engine at Lycoming Engines on August 13, 2014, assessed operation with a disconnected upper deck pressure line. The engine started and ran normally; after disconnecting the #2 cylinder line, the engine continued to run without interruption.