Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20K accident near Fresno, California, June 3, 2015
On June 3, 2015 at about 2:55 am local time, a 1980 Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20K, registered N3567H, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Fresno, California (Fresno Chandler Executive 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power during cruise flight due to a failure of the No. 1 piston and connecting rod assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 2015 · about 2:55 am local time
- Place
- Fresno, California · Fresno Chandler Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20K, built 1980
- Registration
- N3567H · no longer on the register · serial 25-0423
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. During cruise, the engine experienced a catastrophic failure and a total loss of power. The pilot performed a forced landing to an airport, landed long, and collided with an airport fence. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed internal damage consistent with the initial failure of the No. 1 piston and connecting rod assembly, most likely at the piston end, which caused a cascading failure of the adjacent piston and rod assemblies. Damage to the engine components precluded an accurate assessment of the specific initiating event, and evidence suggested that the engine contained oil at the time of the failure. The engine had been involved in a propeller strike accident about 310 flight hours prior, which required an engine teardown, examination, and replacement of two connecting rods and one piston pin. Maintenance records did not disclose which rods were replaced. Following the repair, the engine went through a 10-year period of inactivity, during which time internal corrosion occurred. No precautionary steps were taken to monitor the effects of the corrosion, such as oil filter examination or oil analysis. The extent to which the corrosion contributed to the failure of the No. 1 piston and connecting rod assembly could not be determined.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Landing area overshoot during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,570 hours in all; 313 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,570 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 13, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,340 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2014; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-GB1 (piston); 1,340 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIT Shafter CA at 2:15 am
- Destination: MCC Sacramento CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 30R, 3,627 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from KFAT, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N3567H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.