# Incident 20020707022819I: Mooney M20K, Greeley, CO, July 7, 2002

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 7, 2002, 17:40 local time
- Place: Greeley, CO
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Forced Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.4233° N, 104.7091° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Greeley, CO, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.4233&lon=-104.7091&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5765D, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5765D-2017-10-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20K (registry code 5870220, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20k) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20K
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,870 total, 55 in this make and model, 55 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020707022819I

## Narrative

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

(-23) PILOT DECLARED MAYDAY WHILE IN THE LANDING PATTERN AT THE GREELEY AIRPORT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION ON A VFR FLIGHT FROM LAS VEGAS. PILOT ELECTED TO LAND ON THE HIGHWAY BELOW RATHER THAN CONTINUE APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY. PILOT ADDED SOME FUEL AND DEPARTED FOR THE AIRPORT RUNWAY. PILOT REFUELED AT THE GREELEY AIRPORT AND CONTINUED FLIGHT TO OMAHA, NEB. PILOT REPORTED NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT AND FAA CLOSED AS AN OCCURRENCE. FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO THE FUEL EXHAUSTION VIOLATION REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT HAD HIT A REFLECTION POST DURING THE HIGHWAY LANDING CAUSING A DENT AND LOWER SKIN DAMAGE TO THE WING AND AILERON. FAA INSPECTORS ISSUED A CONDITION NOTICE AT HAMPTON, GA. PILOT ELECTED TO HAVE REPAIRS DONE PRIOR TO FURTHER FLIGHT. FUEL EXHAUSTION HAD NOT OCCURRED AT GREELEY; AIRCRAFT HAD EXPERIENCED VAPOR LOCKING DUE TO HIGH OUTSIDE AND ENGINE COWLING TEMPERATURES AND AIR IN THE FUEL LINE WHEN PILOT RAN RIGHT WING TANK DRY PRIOR TO SWITCHING TO LEFT TANK. REFUELING RECEIPTS AT GREELEY CONFIRMED ADEQUATE FUEL RESERVE AT LANDING JUST SHORT OF THE GREELEY AIRPORT. PILOT REPORTED ENGINE QUIT WHEN HE TURNED OFF THE ELECTRIC FUEL BOOST SWITCH AFTER LANDING WHICH CONFIRMED VAPOR BLOCKING FUEL FLOW IN THE FUEL LINE.

## Other reports on N5765D (2)

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

- [Accident 20110611012949A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110611012949A), Jun 11, 2011: Mooney Aircraft Corp. M20K (N5765D), Page, AZ, Substantial damage. PIC taxied his aircraft, with the intention of flight, into a ditch adjacent to a helicopter pad located near where the aircraft had been parked. When exiting…
- [Incident 20070809017969I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070809017969I), Aug 9, 2007: Mooney M20K (N5765D), Las Vegas, NV, Minor damage. (-23) The airplane was cleared to land on runway 12R. The pilot reports that there were gusty winds, but no significant crosswind. During the flare for…

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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