Mooney M20K accident near Chesterfield, Virginia, August 29, 2003
On August 29, 2003 at about 3:09 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N231PG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chesterfield, Virginia. 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 loss of engine power due to the fatigue fracture of the #2 cylinder head. A contributing 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
- August 29, 2003 · about 3:09 pm local time
- Place
- Chesterfield, Virginia · 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
- N231PG · registry record · serial 25-0242
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A 652-hour commercial pilot reported a loss of engine power during cruise flight. During a forced landing on a four-lane highway, the airplane collided with a vehicle. Examination of the engine revealed that the #2 cylinder head was fractured circumferentially between that fourth and fifth fins from the engine end of the head due to fatigue. As a result, the head was in two pieces: the engine side and the dome side. The engine side of the head remained attached to the barrel and the injector line was fractured at one of the brazed joint for one of the ferrules. The 215-horsepower engine had accumulated a total 326-hours since the last top overhaul and 887 hours since its last major overhaul.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 692 hours in all; 171 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 23, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,445 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 11, 2003; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSI0-360GB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ESN Easton MD at 1:45 pm
- Destination: MTV Martinsville VA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.73 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from RIC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N231PG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 IAD03LA073.