# Incident 20151201020869I: Mooney Aircraft Corp. M20K, Katy, TX, December 1, 2015 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: December 1, 2015, 09:30 local time - Place: Katy, TX - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 29.7913° N, 95.8410° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Katy, TX, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.7913&lon=-95.8410&mi=10 - Aircraft: N231PR, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N231PR) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Mooney M20K (registry code 5870220, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20k) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental TSIO-360 series (registry code 17019, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-360-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: MOONEY AIRCRAFT CORP. M20K - Reported engine: CONT MOTOR TSIO-360 SER - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor - Pilot flight hours: 8,500 total, 10 in this make and model, 40 in the last 90 days - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20151201020869I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON DECEMBER 1ST, 2015, AROUND 10:30 AM CENTRAL STANDARD TIME (CST) THE HOUSTON FSDO WAS NOTIFIED THAT AIRCRAFT N231PR, A MOONEY M20K MODEL LANDED IN AN OPEN FIELD NEAR KATY, TEXAS. PILOT, THE ONLY PERSON ONBOARD REPORTED NO INJURIES. AT ARRIVAL AT THE SCENE THE PILOT WAS INTERVIEWED. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE DEPARTED FROM SKYDIVE HOUSTON AIRPORT (37XA) IN WALLER, TEXAS AROUND 9:30 ON A DIRECT FLIGHT TO WEST HOUSTON AIRPORT WHERE HE PLANNED TO GET FUEL SINCE FUEL WAS NOT AVAILABLE AT 37XA. PILOT STATED THAT ON PREFLIGHT THE CABIN FUEL GAGES INDICATED SLIGHTLY ABOVE HALF TANKS ON BOTH SIDES, AND THE DIRECT READING FUEL GAGES IN THE WINGS READ 10 ON THE LEFT WING TANK AND 5 ON THE RIGHT WING TANK. PILOT INDICATED THAT DEPARTURE WAS NORMAL AND THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING SMOOTH AND STRONG. PILOT SAID THAT SHORTLY AFTER GETTING THE GEAR AND FLAPS UP AND REDUCING THE POWER FOR CRUISE THE ENGINE QUIT. PILOT INDICATED THAT HE SWITCHED TANKS, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AND ACTIVATED THE BOOST PUMP. PILOT SAID THAT THE ENGINE CAME BACK ?ON LINE? BUT NOT AT FULL STRENGTH, AND WHEN HE SHUT OFF THE BOOST PUMP THE ENGINE QUIT AGAIN. CONTINUOUS BOOST PUMP OPERATION KEPT IT RUNNING BUT STEADILY WORSE. PILOT INDICATED THAT HE SWITCHED TANKS MORE THAN ONCE BUT WITH LIMITED SUCCESS. HE TRIED CHANGING THE MIXTURE AND GOING TO FULL THROTTLE AND PROP RPM. PILOT SAID HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND DECIDED TO LAND IN AN OPEN FIELD. WHEN ASKED BY THE INVESTIGATING INSPECTOR WHEN THE LAST TIME WAS THE AIRCRAFT WAS SERVICED WITH FUEL THE PILOT INDICATED THAT ON OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR HE REQUESTED THE MECHANIC THAT WAS INSPECTING THE AIRCRAFT TO PUT $90 OF FUEL. AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED ONE OF THE PROPELLER BLADES WAS BENT AFT WARD, NOSE GEAR WAS PARTIALLY COLLAPSED AND LEFT MAIN GEAR BROKE. THE GROUND AROUND AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED FOR SIGNS OF SPILLAGE OR LEAKAGE, BUT NO SIGNS NOTED. THE UNDERSIDE OF WINGS AND FUSELAGE WERE INSPECTED TO VERIFY INTEGRITY OF THE FUEL TANKS. A SMALL RED STAIN OBSERVED ON ONE OF THE FUEL TANK ACCESS PLATE, BUT NO FUEL DRIPPING NOTED. A FUEL SAMPLE WAS TAKEN FROM BOTH THANKS FUEL DRAINS. IT WAS OBSERVED THAT THE FUEL FLOW WAS VERY SLOW AND WEAK. EACH WAS OBSERVED TO BE CLEAR AND BRIGHT. THE FUEL GAUGE ON THE RIGHT WING INDICATED EMPTY. THE GAUGE ON THE LEFT WING INDICATED APPROXIMATELY 10 GALLONS. THE FUEL CAPS WERE REMOVED FROM BOTH TANKS. FUEL WAS NOT OBSERVABLE IN EITHER TANK. THE BOTTOMS OF THE TANKS WERE DRY. THE BOOST PUMP WAS TURNED ON TO DETERMINE THE PRESENCE OF FUEL FLOW. THE PUMP OPERATED BUT THERE WAS NO FUEL FLOW INDICATED. THE FUEL LINE WAS REMOVED AT THE ENGINE. WHEN THE BOOST PUMP WAS TURNED ON A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL CAME OUT OF THE LINE BUT QUICKLY SUBSIDED. THE HOBB METER READING AT THE TIME OF THIS INVESTIGATION WAS 2102.3. THE HOBB METER READING RECORDED AT THE COMPLETION OF THE ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS 2100.1. THIS WAS 2.2 HOURS ACCUMULATED AFTER THE ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED. THE MECHANIC THAT PERFORMED THE ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS CONTACTED BY PHONE. DURING THE TELEPHONE INTERVIEW THE MECHANIC INDICATED THAT ABOUT 30 DAYS AGO HE WAS ASKED BY THE PILOT TO PUT $50 OF FUEL IN THE LEFT TANK OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE MECHANIC INDICATED THAT HE ADDED 13 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE MECHANIC INDICATED THAT A MONTH AGO HE INFORMED THE PILOT THAT THE FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR GAUGES IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WERE NOT VERY RELIABLE. THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THE FUEL QUANTITY GAUGES ON TOP OF THE WINGS WERE INOPERATIVE. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.