Mooney M-20E incident near Columbia, South Carolina, October 6, 1987
On October 6, 1987 at about 1:04 am local time, a Mooney M-20E, registered N1936Y, suffered minor damage in an incident near Columbia, South Carolina (Columbia Metro airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 1987 · about 1:04 am local time
- Place
- Columbia, South Carolina · Columbia Metro · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M-20E · all M-20Es on the register
- Registration
- N1936Y · no longer on the register · serial 243
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF THE PROPELLER STUDS FAILED AND THE PROPELLER DEPARTED THE ACFT. FAA INCIDENT RPT STATED THAT PROPELLER HAD BEEN OVERHAULED AND REPLACED 32 HOURS PRIOR TO THE SEPARATION. METALLURGICAL EXAM OF THE PROPELLER STUDS REVEALED FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE STUDS THROUGH THE THREADED AREA WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE THREADS. FATIGUE FAILURE OF PROP STUDS OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF VIBRATION DUE TO INADEQUATE TORQUING OF THE MOUNTING NUTS.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 600 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,059 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 8,602 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 am from CAE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.