Mooney M20K accident near Tyler, Texas, January 19, 2000
On January 19, 2000 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N1157G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tyler, Texas. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the crankshaft drive gear as a result of fatigue, which resulted in a forced landing. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 2000 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tyler, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N1157G · registry record · serial 20-0729
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the engine lost total power while in cruise flight between 1,500 feet and 2,000 feet agl. He executed a forced landing, during which the airplane contacted a fence post. During the postaccident examination of the engine, the crankshaft drive gear was observed fractured. Three consecutive gear teeth of the crankshaft drive gear separated, of which two were recovered. The crankshaft drive gear and gear teeth were examined at the NTSB Materials Laboratory and three areas of fatigue were observed. Each fatigue area originated at the relief radius at the root of one of the three separated teeth. No tooling marks or gouge marks were observed near the fracture surface or on the remainder of the crankshaft gear's teeth. The outermost nitrided layer of the crankshaft drive gear appeared smooth and no cracks were noted. Additionally, machining marks through the entire crankshaft drive gear appeared consistent.
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: 2,600 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,231 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 19, 1998; 156 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-LB1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ADS Addison TX at 5:55 pm
- Destination: TYR Tyler TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:05 pm from TYR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW00LA068.