Mooney M20K accident near Roundup, Montana, August 22, 1995
On August 22, 1995 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N1154L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Roundup, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an engine failure due to foreign object ingestion into the oil pump. A ruptured oil inlet screen contributed to the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 1995 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Roundup, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N1154L · no longer on the register · serial 25-0635
- 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 cruising 28 miles north of Roundup, Montana, the engine surged momentarily, then returned to normal RPM. He then noted that the oil pressure had dropped to zero, and turned toward the Roundup airport for an emergency landing. He reported that the engine failed 3 minutes later and that he could not make the airport. He then made a forced landing in a field 9 miles north of Roundup. The airplane went through a barbed-wire fence during landing. A postaccident engine examination revealed a metal chip between the oil inlet screen and the oil pump inlet. The inlet screen was split open along the solder seam and the oil pump inlet was gouged. A scanning electron microscope examination of the chip revealed that the chip was copper-plated steel characteristic of material used in the engine gears and camshaft. Teledyne Continental also reported that the oil screen appeared to have been subjected to an axial compressive load at an undetermined time.
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: 732 hours in all; 592 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 644 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,348 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 20, 1995; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-GB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3S2 Aurora State OR at 7:40 pm
- Destination: BIS Bismarck ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from BIL, 49 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.