# Accident 19940824022999A: Mooney M20G, Bowling Green, OH, August 24, 1994

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 24, 1994, 16:18 local time
- Place: Bowling Green, OH
- Airport: Wood County Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.3693° N, 83.6397° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.3693&lon=-83.6397&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3916N, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3916N-2023-09-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M-20G (registry code 5870216, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m-20g) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20G
- Reported engine: LYC O360A1D
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,131 total, 5 in this make and model, 65 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB BFO94LA149](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/BFO94LA149) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940824022999A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LOST POWER EN ROUTE. UNABLE AIRPORT. HIT ROAD SIGN AND DITCH ON FORCED LANDING. FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY.  (.4)ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AS HE WAS CRUISING AT 6500 FEET WITH A POWER SETTING OF 2400 RPM AND 22 INCHES OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE.  DURING A SUBSEQUENT FORCED LANDING ON A ROAD, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A SIGN, DITCH, AND TREE.  THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING THE FLIGHT, HE USED THE RIGHT FUEL TANK FOR THE FIRST HOUR AND THEN THE LEFT TANK FOR TWO HOURS, BEFORE HE SWITCHED BACK TO THE RIGHT TANK.  HE STATED THAT WHEN HE SWITCHED BACK TO THE RIGHT TANK, THE FUEL GAGES INDICATED 36 AND 108 LBS., RESPECTIVELY, IN THE LEFT AND RIGHT TANKS.  ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER, THE ENGINE LOST POWER.  THE ENGINE WAS RESTARTED, BUT ABOUT 3 MINUTES LATER, A POWER LOSS OCCURRED AGAIN, THEN THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE.  POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY AND THAT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF LEAKAGE.  TACHOMETER INFORMATION SHOWED THE ENGINE HAD BEEN OPERATED 4.1 HOURS.  BASED ON FULL FUEL TANKS AND THE PILOT'S REPORTED CRUISE ALTITUDE/POWER SETTING, THE AIRPLANE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FLY FOR A TOTAL OF ABOUT 5.4 HOURS.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB BFO94LA149](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/BFO94LA149), Aug 24, 1994: Mooney M20G (N3916N), Bowling Green, OH, substantial damage. Probable cause: fuel exhaustion for undetermined reason(s), which resulted in loss of engine power and a subsequent forced landing. A factor relating to the accident was: faulty fuel quantity gauge/system.

## Other reports on N3916N (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19840410039639I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19840410039639I), Apr 10, 1984: Mooney M20G (N3916N), Melbourne, FL, Minor damage. Failed to extend the landing gear. Landed gear up. Blamed distraction of traffic spacing.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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