Mooney M20E N9151V accident near Richmond, Texas

Probable cause

The partial separation of a portion of the propeller spinner and its mounting bulkhead along with the upper cowl fairing while in a full-power climb.

NTSB analysis

The pilot had just taken off from a touch-and-go landing when he noticed an odor followed by a loud explosion and the airplane shaking violently. The pilot stated that a total loss of engine power occurred. He executed a 180° turn and made an emergency landing to the departure runway, which resulted in a runway overrun.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the fiberglass upper engine cowl fairing and the left vent baffle contacted the propeller spinner and spinner bulkhead. The ensuing rubbing of the cowl and baffle with the spinner components likely created the odor smelled by the pilot. As the failure progressed, the components separated in flight; they were not located after the accident. The inflight separation of these components likely also created the reported loud explosion and violent shaking due to an unbalanced propeller and spinner. The cause of the component failure could not be determined, as the components were missing.

The pilot reported a total loss of engine power in flight; however, recorded data indicated the engine continued to operate throughout the forced landing approach. A postaccident engine test run found the engine to be fully functional. It is likely that given the low altitude at the time of the failure, the pilot did not have adequate time to troubleshoot the condition of the engine.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN25LA007 for the full record.