Mooney M20C accident near Sidney, Ohio, April 16, 2007
On April 16, 2007 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N3529H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sidney, Ohio (Sidney Municipal Airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power during initial climb due to oil starvation as a result of improper maintenance. The fixed base operator's failure to advise the pilot that the engine had been operated without oil in the engine and soft terrain were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 2007 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sidney, Ohio · Sidney Municipal Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · all M20Cs on the register
- Registration
- N3529H · no longer on the register · serial 20-1224
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, he noticed that the engine was "slowing down." While attempting to return to the airport, the engine came to a "complete and abrupt stop, as if it seized up." The airplane was about 500 feet above ground level when the pilot executed a forced landing to a field. He lowered the landing gear, but the field was soft and the airplane sustained substantial damage during the landing roll. The engine teardown inspection revealed that the damage to the engine components was consistent with oil starvation. The mechanic who conducted the annual maintenance inspection had not put oil, the oil filter, or the belly skins back on the airplane when he had signed the maintenance logbook indicating that the airplane was in an airworthy condition. The fixed base operator, who employed the mechanic, reported that he ran the engine without engine oil, but he did not notify the pilot that the engine had been run without oil.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,360 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 3,255 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I12 Sidney OH at 1:25 pm
- Destination: P19 Chandler AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from DAY, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.