Mooney M20F accident near Casper, Wyoming, October 13, 1990
On October 13, 1990 at about 5:10 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N9732M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Casper, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE NUMBER 2 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: ROUGH AND UNEVEN TERRAIN AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AND THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 13, 1990 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Casper, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N9732M · no longer on the register · serial 670292
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING AFTER THE ENGINE FAILED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE NUMBER 2 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD LOWER YOKE WAS FRACTURED. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE ROD REVEALED ROTATIONAL POLISHING AND GALLED SPOTS ON THE INSIDE YOKE SURFACES AND A FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE YOKE THAT ORIGINATED AT THE INSIDE SURFACE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,900 hours in all; 650 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 2,800 as pilot in command; 800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,388 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 12, 1989; 213 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4AC Albuquerque NM at 1:30 pm
- Destination: CPR Casper WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 20 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from CPR, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.