# Accident 20230526008299A: Mooney M-18C 55, Napa, CA, May 26, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 26, 2023, 18:45 local time
- Place: Napa, CA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.2978° N, 122.2555° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2978&lon=-122.2555&mi=10
- Aircraft: N201MM, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N201MM) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M-18C 55 (registry code 5870104, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m-18c-55) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental A&C65 series (registry code 17003, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c65-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M-18C 55
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR23LA202](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA202) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230526008299A

## Narrative

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

ON 05/25/2023 AT APPROXIMATELY 1845 PST A 1955 MOONEY M-18C-551 WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT THAT RESULTED IN AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING WITH SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.  NEITHER THE FAA OR NTSB TRAVELED TO THE ACCIDENT SIGHT AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS RELEASED BY THE NTSB TO THE REGISTERED OWNER(S) AND WAS RELOCATED THE NAPA COUNTY AIRPORT (APC).  ON 05/13/2023 THE NTSB TRAVELED TO APC TO PERFORM AN ENGINE TEARDOWN OF THE INSTALLED CONTINENTAL C-85-12F.  THE FOLLOWING IS A POST TEARDOWN BRIEF I RECEIVED FROM THE NTSB INSPECTOR:

EVERYTHING WORKED AS ADVERTISED. MANUAL ROTATION REVEALED GOOD CONTINUITY, NO STUCK VALVES, NO EVIDENCE OF DETONATION OR PRE-IGNITION, FUEL WAS IN THE FUEL PUMPS AND CARB. MAGS FIRED AND WAS TIMED 28 AND 30 DEGREES. I EVEN CHECKED THE IGNITION SWITCH & P-LEADS AND IT TESTED FINE. LIKE YOU SAID BEFORE, CARB-ICE IS WHAT ITS LOOKING LIKE. THE PIC STATED THAT HE DID NOT ADJUST CARB HEAT AT ALL.

MYSELF AND THE NTSB INSPECTOR BELIEVE THAT THE MOST LIKELY CAUSE OF THE ENGINE TO STOP PRODUCING POWER WAS CARBURETOR ICE ON THE DECENT INTO APC FOR LANDING.

THE PIC^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PROVIDED AIRCRAFT RECORDS WHICH SHOWED THE LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION BEING COMPLETED ON 04/20/2023 AT AN AFTT: 1018.7, TACH: 270.88 WITH AN ENGINE TT: 692.78.

## 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 WPR23LA202](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA202), May 26, 2023: Mooney M-18C 55 (N201MM), Napa, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to carburetor icing and a subsequent impact with terrain during a forced landing.

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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