History of Flight
On April 20, 2015, at approximately 1440 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20TN, registration N608MR, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a total loss of engine power while on approach to Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL), Lakeland, Florida. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured. The airplane was owned by Premier Aircraft Sales, LLC and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight departed Stuart Airport (SUA), Stuart, Florida, around 1340 en route to LAL.
The pilot reported that during final approach with landing gear and flaps extended, the manifold pressure indicated about 12 inches. Advancing the throttle produced no engine response. Troubleshooting attempts failed, and the pilot conducted a forced landing to a clearing. The airplane struck terrain, trees, and a gate approximately 6,000 feet from the runway 27 threshold. A postcrash fire consumed the forward fuselage, including the cockpit.
A fuel receipt indicated the airplane was fueled with 20 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel on the morning of the accident before departure.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate issued August 25, 2003, with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane, as well as a private pilot certificate with a glider rating. He held a third-class FAA medical certificate issued May 2013, requiring glasses for near vision. His most recent flight review was in May 2014. According to his logbook, he had 5,735.4 total flight hours, with 32.7 hours in the preceding 90 days and 12.4 hours in the preceding 30 days.
Aircraft Information
The Mooney M20TN, serial number 31-0132, received its airworthiness certificate on March 2, 2015. It was powered by a Continental Motors TSIO-550-G5B, 310 hp reciprocating engine (serial number 1010446) driving a Hartzell PHC-J3YF-1RF three-blade propeller. The airplane was new and had not undergone a 100-hour or annual inspection, but had received a new airplane inspection per manufacturer requirements.
Meteorological Information
At 1433, LAL reported wind from 280° at 8 knots, visibility 5 miles, thunderstorms and light rain, scattered clouds at 1,600 feet agl, overcast at 2,600 feet agl, temperature 22°C, dew point 19°C, altimeter 29.88 inches. At 1450, conditions included wind from 360° at 6 knots, visibility 10 miles, thunderstorms and light rain, scattered clouds at 1,600 feet agl, overcast at 3,300 feet agl, temperature 22°C, dew point 21°C, altimeter 29.89 inches.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was moved before the investigative team arrived; photographs showed the airplane engulfed in flames shortly after impact. A video taken by the pilot after exiting showed fire beginning forward of the wings and engulfing them within seconds.
Initial impact was marked by three tire marks in the grass, about 20 feet long, corresponding to the landing gear. The airplane then struck a palm tree 5 feet agl, a 15-foot-tall archway over an entrance gate, another tree, and the ground. The debris path extended about 200 feet on a heading of approximately 060°, with the airplane coming to rest on a heading of about 260°.
The forward fuselage suffered extensive thermal damage; the empennage was intact and unaffected by fire. The engine remained attached to its mounts and firewall, with varying impact damage to the mounts. The propeller remained attached; the spinner showed no rotational scoring. One blade had leading edge gouging, one blade tip was bent aft, and the third had chordwise scratching and was bent aft at midspan.
Engine examination revealed extensive thermal damage to the rear accessory pad and top. The turbo controller was destroyed by fire. The No. 5 cylinder had impact damage. No external anomalies were found. Crankshaft continuity was confirmed, and thumb compression was obtained on all cylinders except No. 5 due to valve restriction. Oil pump gears were intact; the oil filter was thermally damaged but unremarkable. Oil level was about 7 quarts.
Ignition system wiring was destroyed; magnetos were secure but thermally damaged. Spark plugs appeared new with little combustion deposits. Left magneto showed thermal distress; no arcing or cracking was observed. Turbocharger system: left and right turbos had no foreign object damage and rotated freely. Wastegate actuator operated normally. Fuel system: supply lines attached; mixture control at full-rich as found; engine-driven fuel pump was thermally distorted but secure. Throttle body intact; fuel manifold valve had thermal damage; fuel selector valve in left tank position and operated normally. Gascolator screen unobstructed.
Right wing: impact and thermal damage; flap separated; fuel tank destroyed. Left wing: separated into three sections; fuel cap secure; vent tube had restricted airflow. Cockpit: extensive thermal damage; control column destroyed; elevator and aileron continuity confirmed. AMSafe inflatable seatbelts did not deploy according to pilot; squibs were thermally damaged. Empennage intact; flaps fully extended; elevator trim slightly nose-up.
Additional Information
Throttle cable measured 3.75 inches (74% open); mixture cable 6.70 inches (57% rich). Both controls had heat damage but no pre-existing binding. Magnetos and fuel system components were examined at the manufacturer. Magnetos could not be functionally tested due to thermal damage; internal timing correct. Engine-driven fuel pump thermally damaged; no pre-accident anomalies. Throttle body disassembled; no anomalies. Fuel manifold valve diaphragm intact. Tests with exemplar components showed no anomalies. A similar accident (CEN14LA234) in 2014 involved a similar airplane and engine with unexplained power loss.