Mooney M20F accident near Hanston, Kansas, September 8, 1994
On September 8, 1994 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N9310V, was destroyed in an accident near Hanston, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the number two connecting rod. Factors in the accident were the fouled windshield utility wires, the road sign, and the telephone pole.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 1994 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hanston, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N9310V · no longer on the register · serial 690088
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS INTO THE FLIGHT, THE PILOT REPORTED HE HEARD A LOUD BANG. THE WINDSHIELD BECAME COVERED WITH OIL, THE AIRPLANE SHOOK VIOLENTLY, AND THE COCKPIT FILLED WITH SMOKE. THE PILOT PREPARED FOR A FORCED LANDING. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON A ROAD, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH UTILITY WIRES. IT THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND AND STRUCK A ROAD SIGN AND A TELEPHONE POLE BEFORE COMING TO REST. A POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION REVEALED THE NUMBER TWO CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD HAD FAILED. THE CONNECTING ROD WAS SENT TO THE NTSB MATERIALS LABORATORY IN WASHINGTON, D.C., FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION. THE LABORATORY REPORTED THE FRACTURES OF THE COMPONENTS SUBMITTED APPEARED TO HAVE FEATURES WHICH ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF OVERSTRESS SEPARATIONS OR CYCLIC STRESS. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE FROM NORMAL OPERATIONS.
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: airline transport pilot, foreign licence, private, student
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: airship
- Flight time: 844 hours in all; 456 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 770 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,126 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 9, 1993; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APA Denver CO at 5:20 pm
- Destination: ICT Wichita KS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.