N72FG

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 11, 2014, at 1419 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20M, N72FG, collided with the terrain shortly after takeoff from the Greenwood Municipal Airport (HFY), Greenwood, Indiana. The private pilot/airplane owner was fatally injured and the certified flight instructor (CFI) on board received serious injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged by impact and a postimpact fire. The airplane was registered to and operated by the private pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal/training flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight. The flight was departing under visual flight rules (VFR). The flight was originating at the time of the accident with an intended destination of the East Texas Regional Airport (GGG), Longview, Texas.

The purpose of the flight was to reposition the airplane to Texas for an annual inspection and for the private pilot to receive instrument flight instruction during the flight. The CFI stated the private pilot was going to return to Indiana and he was going to stay in Texas until the annual inspection was completed at which time he was going to fly the airplane back to Indiana.

The CFI stated that the private pilot filed his flight plan inside the fixed base operator (FBO). They taxied the airplane to the end of the runway where the private pilot received his departure clearance which was different than what he filed. It took a while for the private pilot to figure out the new clearance and as a result, their clearance void time lapsed. The CFI stated they discussed how to handle the voided clearance. He advised the private pilot that since the weather was good they could depart using visual flight rules (VFR) and pick up an IFR clearance en route, or they could get a pop-up clearance. He stated they then got the oxygen system hooked up and performed a normal engine run-up. He does not recall any other events of the flight.

Numerous witnesses reported seeing and hearing the airplane before and during the takeoff. They stated the engine sounded normal while the airplane was taxiing to runway 19 and throughout the engine run-up. Witnesses reported that the airplane sat at the end of the runway for 10 to 15 minutes before it departed.

Witnesses reported seeing the airplane trailing blue smoke near the beginning of the takeoff ground run on runway 19 (5,100 ft by 75 ft). The witness accounts varied regarding what they saw and hear. One witness stated the engine was making a loud "popping" sound as if it was "misfiring." Another witness stated the engine was very loud and sounded as if it was going to self-destruct. The airplane continued down the runway and eventually became airborne. Additional witnesses reported the airplane was between 50 to 100 feet above the ground when it passed-by the fixed base operator which was about ¼ the way down the runway. These witnesses also described the sound of the engine as "popping" and "misfiring". They stated the nose of the airplane lowered slightly and they thought the pilot was going to land the airplane back on the runway, but the nose then rose and the airplane continued climbing. Witnesses stated the airplane was slow and "wallowing" with the nose pitching up and down slightly as it continued to climb to a maximum altitude of about 100 to 150 feet above the ground. One of the witnesses stated that he thought they were going to land the airplane back on the runway, but they continued the takeoff. The landing gear was reported to have been extended the entire time. Witnesses at the north end of the airport stated they did not hear the engine as the airplane turned to the south; however, they were not certain if it was because the engine power had decreased or because of their distance and position from the airplane.

A witness who was in a parking lot just south of the airport, stated he saw the airplane as it was climbing from the airport. He stated the airplane was about treetop level, less than 100 feet above the ground. The witness stated he did not see smoke or hear any popping or backfiring. He did state that the engine sounded like it was at an idle or a low power setting. The nose of the airplane was slightly up, and the wings were level. He looked toward another airplane in the area and when he looked back, the airplane had disappeared behind the trees.

The airplane impacted two houses and a garage about 1/2 mile from the departure end of the runway. Two witnesses who saw the airplane descend behind the trees responded to the accident site and pulled the CFI from the wreckage before the airplane was engulfed in flames. One of these witnesses stated he checked the pilot for a pulse and did not detect one. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONPrivate Pilot

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating issued on April 2, 1999. He was issued a third class airman medical certificate with no restrictions on June 26, 2013. The pilot's most recent flight review endorsement was dated July 24, 2013. The flight review was conducted in the accident airplane.

The pilot's logbooks contained entries dated from April 25, 1998, thru July 10, 2014. The logbooks showed that the pilot had a total flight time of 434.7 hours. He began flying Mooney M20 airplanes in June 2010, and had accumulated 103 hours of flight time in M20 airplanes. The pilot logged 9.9 hours in the accident airplane during the three days preceding the accident.

The pilot's logbook contained an endorsement for his instrument knowledge test on January 27, 2014, and an instrument rating flight proficiency/practical test signoff dated August 31, 2013. There was no FAA record that the pilot had taken his instrument practical or written tests.

Certified Flight Instructor

The CFI held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land airplane and instrument airplane ratings, and a flight instructor certificate with single-engine land and instrument ratings. His flight instructor certificate had an expiration date of August 31, 2015. The CFI was issued a second class airman medical certificate with a limitation for corrective lenses on November 1, 2013.

The CFI reported that he had a total of 1,610 hours of flight time. The CFI reported having 67 hours of flight time in Mooney M20 airplanes, 57 hours of which were as an instructor.

The pilot's first flight with the accident CFI was an aircraft familiarization flight in June 2012. They flew 13 instrument training flights together with the last flight being the day prior to the accident. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe accident airplane was a Mooney M20M, serial number 27-0118. The Mooney M20M is a single-engine, four-place design, with retractable tricycle landing gear. The airplane was powered by a 310-horsepower, turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540-AF1B six-cylinder, reciprocating engine, serial number RL-5317-61A. The airplane was equipped with a three-blade McCauley model B3B32C417-C propeller assembly.

Maintenance records show the last aircraft, engine, and propeller annual inspections were completed on July 16, 2013, at a total aircraft time of 1,754.8 hours. The engine had 795.1 hours since overhaul when the annual inspection was accomplished. The last logbook entry was dated April 1, 2014, which consisted of an oil change at a hobbs time of 1,797.8 hours. The pilot's logbook indicated he flew the airplane 26.1 hours since the oil change, which would have resulted in an approximate aircraft total time of 1,823.9 hours at the time of the accident.

The airplane was being flown to a Mooney service center for an annual inspection at the time of the accident. A representative at the service station stated that it was to be a routine annual inspection and he was not aware of any specific problems with the airplane.

Fuel records indicate the airplane was fueled twice on the day prior to the accident. The last fueling was at 2126 when 38.33 gallons of fuel were added.

The pilot purchased the airplane on June 15, 2012. After purchasing the airplane it was determined that Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2012-19-01 had not been complied with. The engine was removed and sent to a repair station in March 2013, so the AD could be complied with. The major work consisted of replacing the crankshaft and repairing the crankcase, camshaft, cylinders, and fuel pump. The engine was shipped back to the owner and reinstalled on the airplane in July 2013.

The local mechanic who worked on the airplane stated he had not spoken to the pilot in the month prior to the accident up until the day prior when the pilot contacted him to service the oxygen system. He stated he did so just prior to the accident takeoff. He stated the airplane sounded good when the pilot was taxiing and during the engine run-up before the accident flight. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONWeather conditions recorded by the Indianapolis International Airport (IND) Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS), located about 13 miles northwest of HFY, at 1454 were: wind variable at 4 knots, 10 miles visibility, scattered clouds at 5,500 ft, scattered clouds at 25,000 ft, temperature 26 degrees Celsius, dew point 12 degrees Celsius, and altimeter 30.19 inches of mercury. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe accident airplane was a Mooney M20M, serial number 27-0118. The Mooney M20M is a single-engine, four-place design, with retractable tricycle landing gear. The airplane was powered by a 310-horsepower, turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540-AF1B six-cylinder, reciprocating engine, serial number RL-5317-61A. The airplane was equipped with a three-blade McCauley model B3B32C417-C propeller assembly.

Maintenance records show the last aircraft, engine, and propeller annual inspections were completed on July 16, 2013, at a total aircraft time of 1,754.8 hours. The engine had 795.1 hours since overhaul when the annual inspection was accomplished. The last logbook entry was dated April 1, 2014, which consisted of an oil change at a hobbs time of 1,797....