M-20 E Super 21
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 150; Flight Crew Total 1800; Flight Crew Type 160
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
Preflight complete; full fuel; sumped both tanks one hour after fill-up; no contamination; full runup; with no anomalies; short field takeoff; no performance deficiencies; initial climbout uneventful; retracted gear and flaps. Engine suddenly quit at about 1;500 feet AGL; pilot and co-pilot performed emergency flow checklist at least three times; no anomalies; troubleshooting unsuccessful; obvious that immediate landing was necessary; unsafe to return to airport; selected level alfalfa field as safest alternative. Extended gear; performed approach at nominal airspeeds into the wind; ground roll 880 feet. No injuries; no apparent damage to aircraft or property on the ground. Aircraft towed back to airport with assistance of local law-enforcement; fire authorities; and Airport Management. Cause of engine failure still unknown. Mechanic detected missing screw in mixture/servo/fuel injection system; expected to know more within days.
M20 pilot experiences an engine failure at 1;500 AGL after takeoff. The engine cannot be restarted and landing in a field is deemed the best option which is accomplished without damage.