Mooney M20K accident near Fort Wayne, Indiana, August 31, 2007
On August 31, 2007 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N231BQ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Wayne, Indiana (Fort Wayne International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power due to the fatigue failure of one of the number two cylinder connecting rod bolts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2007 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Wayne, Indiana · Fort Wayne International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N231BQ · no longer on the register · serial 25-0119
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane had just leveled off at 6500 feet, after departure, when the engine vibrated and lost full power. During an attempted return to the departure airport, the pilot realized that he could not make any runway and chose to make a forced landing into a corn field. The airplane was substantially damaged during the forced landing. Postaccident disassembly of the engine disclosed that the number two connecting rod had separated from the crankshaft; one of the connecting rod bolts had sheared. Inspection of the fracture surface of this connecting rod bolt disclosed there were signature marks of metal fatigue across the bolt shear face that had initiated at the surface of the bolt. The number two cylinder had been replaced about 8 hours prior to the accident; however, the connecting rod had not been removed from the crankshaft during the cylinder replacement.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,134 hours in all; 764 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,134 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,280 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental TSIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KGWB Auburn IN at 8:30 pm
- Destination: KUMP Fishers IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 11,981 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from KFWA, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.