Mooney M20F accident near Tacoma, Washington, January 12, 2003
On January 12, 2003 at about 11:47 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N6442Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tacoma, Washington (Tacoma Narrows airport). 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
A loss of engine power during cruise flight due to fatigue failure of the crankshaft as a result of an inadequate quality of material during the manufacturing process. Trees were a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 2003 · about 11:47 pm local time
- Place
- Tacoma, Washington · Tacoma Narrows · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6442Q · registry record · serial 670521
- 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 while en route, the engine backfired, followed by a total loss of power. The pilot initiated a forced landing, attempting to land at a nearby airport. The aircraft was unable to reach the runway and collided with trees and brush about 200 yards short of the runway. During a post-accident engine examination, the crankshaft was found fractured through the forward side of the number four journal. Metallurgical examination of the fracture surface revealed that the crankshaft failure was the result of fatigue initiating at a subsurface inclusion. Scanning electron microscopic examinations established that the fatigue initiated at a single subsurface site located 0.023 inch below the journal surface. Closer inspection found an approximate 0.002 to 0.003 inch diameter pit at the origin location. The pit was mostly empty but contained remnants of material that was identified by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopic as mostly aluminum and calcium. The age of the crankshaft could not be determined but appeared to be an older crankshaft that was manufactured prior to the manufacturers transition to vacuum arc remelted steels which have higher fatigue strengths and which almost eliminates the presence of inclusions.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,979 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,586 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 11, 2001; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,960 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1S0 Puyallup WA at 11:30 pm
- Destination: OLM Olympia WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,002 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; scat at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from TIW
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 SEA03FA025.