TRENTON, NE, USA
N231KV
MOONEY M20K
THE ACFT WAS CLIMBING THROUGH 11500 TO 12000 FT MSL WHEN THE ENGINE MADE A LOUD NOISE FOLLOWED BY A LURCH. THE OIL PRESSURE DROPPED TO ZERO AND THE ENGINE DEVELOPED A ROUGHNESS. THE PLT SAID HE SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN AT THIS TIME, THE PLT ADVISED DENVER ARTCC OF HIS EMERGENCY AND ASKED FOR LOCATIONS OF AIRPORTS IN THE VICINITY. THE CONTROLLER RESPONDED THAT THE TRENTON, NE ARPT WAS ABOUT 15 MILES BEHIND HIM. THE ACFT WAS TURNED TO A HEADING OF 80 DEGREES WHICH LATER WAS CHANGED TO 55 DEGREES. 5 MILES WEST OF TRENTON THE PLT RESPORTED THAT HE HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT. THE ACFT WAS LANDED GEAR DOWN ABOUT 1/2 MILE SHORT OF RWY 14. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE AFTER THE ACCIDENT SHOWED THE CRANKSHAFT CLUSTER GEAR P/N 630690 WAS MISSING ABOUT 1/2 OF ITS TEETH THAT MESH WITH THE CAM SHAFT DRIVE GEAR. THE FAILURE WAS FOUND TO HAVE STARTED AS A FATIGUE TYPE FRACTURE IN ONE OF THE GEAR TEETH.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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