Mooney M20E accident near Tryon, Nebraska, December 31, 1998
On December 31, 1998 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N333WS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tryon, Nebraska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
other maintenance personnel's not correcting a loose cylinder assembly. Factors were loose engine cylinder assembly, fractured cylinder mounting hardware, the roadway, and road sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 1998 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Tryon, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N333WS · registry record · serial 323
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight the engine began to lose power. The pilot elected to conduct a forced landing on a roadway due to rough and hilly terrain. The landing was successful; however, during the rollout the right wing impacted a sign, and rotated into a ditch. Subsequent to the accident an examination of the airplane engine revealed #3 cylinder was loose and six cylinder base studs were fractured. The engine had accumulated a total time of 1,100 hours time in service and 31 hours since the last inspection.
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: 1,435 hours in all; 1,020 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 1,387 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,632 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 25, 1998; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LBF North Platte NE at 4:35 pm
- Destination: RAP Rapid City SD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from LBF, 35 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.