Anyone able to find information on what brought this plane down?

[Echo]

See photos.  This plane lost power while going up a canyon and pilot put plane down walking away.  From the photos it appears that the engine was NOT under power (prop tips).  I couldn't find any info on the cause of the loss of power in my search.  Thanks for help.  Scott

[Echo]

N600FS

[toto]

There was an earlier thread on this but no real discussion. It does link to a BT thread but I don’t have a Beechcraft so I dunno what they said

https://mooneyspace.com/topic/42801-and-yet-another-n600fs-crashes-into-hilltop-taking-off-at-ellenville-ny-n89/

 

[toto]

Kathryn’s Report also has essentially zero information. 

http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2022/07/mooney-m20f-n600fs-incident-occurred.html?m=1

[Echo]

Thanks TOTO.  I had found the Kathryn's Report (lack of info) and I to don't visit BeechTalk.  Appreciate your reply.  Scott

[toto]

19 minutes ago, 1980Mooney said:

https://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=209749

You don't need to be a BT member to read it.  Not a lot there but a few tracks shown.

When I click that link, I get a registration wall. 

[Echo]

54 minutes ago, 1980Mooney said:

Prelim:

Location: Cragsmoor, NY Accident Number: ERA22LA307
Date & Time: July 10, 2022, 19:17 Local Registration: N600FS
Aircraft: Mooney M20F Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On July 10, 2022, about 1917 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20F, N600FS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cragsmoor, New York. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The flight originated at Joseph Y Resnick Airport (N89), Ellenville, New York, destined for Brookhaven Airport (HWV), Shirley, New York.

According to the pilot, the airplane was fully fueled when he departed N89. While en route to HWV, about 5 minutes after takeoff, the pilot noticed that the airplane’s climb performance was less than normal, and the airplane was struggling to maintain a 500 foot-per-minute rate of climb.

As the pilot noticed that he was approaching terrain faster than the climb performance of the airplane would allow him to avoid, he considered making a steep turn away from the terrain but did not feel the turn could be executed without a critical loss of altitude in the narrow corridor in which he was flying. Therefore, the pilot decided to continue the same flight path at the best rate of climb configuration. He maintained a wings level and 
nose up attitude as the airplane impacted trees and flight was no longer sustainable.

The airplane was retained for examination.

Thanks.  EXACTLY what I was looking for.  I have this engine in my new to me plane.  Pilot says he refueled.  Apparently FAA doesn't have enough resources to do much evaluation if no fatalities.  Engine is STRONG and has thirty hours since installation on my plane.  Crankshaft gear inspected.  New bolts and lock tab on rear cover with new gaskets/sump intake and exhaust gaskets.  Fuel servo repaired. Bendix mags inspected, lubed and cleaned.  This engine runs really cool on oil and cylinder temps.  I have 6.5 hours and no oil has needed added since change right before pick-up.  Super smooth with Hartzell two blade Top Prop.  Would LOVE to know what REAL cause of this plane going down was, but will likely NEVER know.

[Echo]

So pilot maintains he was "under power", but reduced power and climbing at 500fpm, but couldn't outclimb terrain, so when I look at that prop it sure doesn't seem like it was under power when it went down.  Only one tip is just a little bent.  Shenanigans?  That photo in trees looks like the wings are both GONE.  Strange.

[MikeOH]

Absolute last thing on my mind after a crash would be to put the cowl plugs back in.  Maybe he never removed them in the first place...?  Just sayin'

EDIT: NEVER MIND!  Looked at the salvage photos and one photo of the crash site shows the nose WITHOUT cowl plugs.

[Echo]

There were a BUNCH of photos of this planes intake boot on the salvage sight.  The boot was a complete mess.  I wonder if this was an issue with this plane too?

[MikeOH]

26 minutes ago, Echo said:

There were a BUNCH of photos of this planes intake boot on the salvage sight.  The boot was a complete mess.  I wonder if this was an issue with this plane too?

You might be onto something; that intake is pretty trashed! And, scratch my theory: one of the photos at the crash site does NOT have the cowl plug installed.

[exM20K]

Nice job by the pilot saving his or herself.….”fly as far into the crash as you can.” It looks like he or she put a great deal of time and money into that plane (panel, new engine, polished aluminum).  It must be devastating to see it destroyed.

would an E model run at all with the cowl plugs in?  I doubt my plane would.

It is a good habit to drape the tether for cowl plugs in front of one prop blade so that it will be snatched loose when the engine is cranked.

At least one of the prop blades appears to be spun 180*, which is odd but likely an artifact of the crash and recovery.

-dan

[N201MKTurbo]

You have to break some serious parts to get that prop blade to rotate 180 degrees.

[kortopates]

Seen a pilot new in type take off with cowl plugs in place on a lyc IO-360. Cylinders will last less than 20 minutes before they’re toast.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pinecone]

Plus one on looping the cord over a blade.  I was taking to FBO owner and there was a guy who got mad when he started with the plugs in as the cord damaged the plugs (but did pull them out of the cowling), so he stopped doing it that way.

Yeap, a while later he forgot them again, but the cord did not pull them out and he toasted the engine.

[MikeOH]

14 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

You have to break some serious parts to get that prop blade to rotate 180 degrees.

Yeah, and I’d think ‘climb performance’ might be affected  Wouldn’t there be a wee bit of vibration, as well?

@Cody Stallings What could cause a prop to fail like this? Have you ever seen this 180 blade turn before?

[Rmfriday]

not sure but i did bid on it at salvage.

It had a lot of nice equipment with it and a nice set of 201 yokes...

To be honest i did assume the engine to be a core only but i also wasnt looking for a engine, i was after the other stuff....

i'm glad the engine is working out for you and hopefully it gives you many,many trouble free hours!!

[Echo]

30 minutes ago, Rmfriday said:

not sure but i did bid on it at salvage.

It had a lot of nice equipment with it and a nice set of 201 yokes...

To be honest i did assume the engine to be a core only but i also wasnt looking for a engine, i was after the other stuff....

i'm glad the engine is working out for you and hopefully it gives you many,many trouble free hours!!

Agree.  Avionics and yokes were nice.  Don't know what seller paid for the engine.  So far so good.  Thanks, Scott

[Cody Stallings]

On 9/18/2023 at 11:37 AM, MikeOH said:

Yeah, and I’d think ‘climb performance’ might be affected  Wouldn’t there be a wee bit of vibration, as well?

@Cody Stallings What could cause a prop to fail like this? Have you ever seen this 180 blade turn before?

A broken pitch change knob on the blade.

Not something you see often, but I have seen it a few times.

Edited December 25, 2023 by Cody Stallings

[Echo]

Final came out on this incident.  I had interest because my plane has the salvaged engine.  The only functional anomaly was the fuel injector airbox that we had identified from accident/salvage photos.  Likely cause as listed in attached was that pilot made decision to continue climb when there were other options.  He would of been close to the F's climb limit EVEN if functioning at 100%.

[Ragsf15e]

2 hours ago, Echo said:

Final came out on this incident.  I had interest because my plane has the salvaged engine.  The only functional anomaly was the fuel injector airbox that we had identified from accident/salvage photos.  Likely cause as listed in attached was that pilot made decision to continue climb when there were other options.  He would of been close to the F's climb limit EVEN if functioning at 100%.

Thats just two sad reasons to lose an airplane, however im glad he wasn’t hurt.