The Engine Began “Making Noises And Started Rumbling.”
On May 20, 2021, about 1030 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20K, N9514R, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Dawson, Georgia. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he had recently purchased the airplane. He conducted a preflight inspection with no anomalies noted and departed Orlando Apopka Airport (X04), Apopka, Florida, about 0815 for a flight to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM), Birmingham, Alabama. About 90 minutes into the flight the engine began “making noises and started rumbling.”