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20231118019799I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Mooney M20C · Pocatello, ID · November 18, 2023

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
November 18, 2023 · 21:04 local
Place
Pocatello, ID
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N6402U
Reported as
Mooney M20C
Reported engine
Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Private pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours
120 total2 in this make and model80 in the last 90 days
N6402URegistered now · Mooney M20CS/N 2149 · Built 1962Airframe modelMooney M20CEngine modelLycoming O&VO-360 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

At 12:00 pm on Saturday November 18, 2023, the pilot staged at the avcenter (FBO at kpih) and planned to go up on a social flight to get familiar with privacy data omitted. The pilot stated he went through and did the preflight inspection. After the preflight everything looked good to him, so he started up the engine and taxied to do the run-up and everything was in range and running good. The pilot took off at approximately 12:30. He decided to do a few touch and goes, after feeling comfortable he decided to go to the practice area. The pilot began practicing some maneuvers and did a few steep turns. The pilot stated he switched fuel tanks and was burning from the left wing. He decided to test out avionics and headed to do the practice ILS and VOR approaches into kpih. When lineing up for the ILS the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot attempted to add in throttle realizing the engine had complete power loss. He immediately turned the plane back to Pocatello (kpih). The co-pilot pitched for the glide speed as he got the emergency checklist out. The co-pilot completed the checklist, consisting of: turning on the electric fuel pump, richening the mixture, checking the mags, switching the fuel tank and attempting to restart. After multiple attempts of restarting, he could not get the engine to start. The co-pilot took the controls and then declared an emergency to the Pocatello tower as he put 7700 in the transponder. The co-pilot then began searching for the safest field that he could make. Upon getting close, the co-pilot put the landing gear down, kept control and landed in a corn field that had already been harvested. After touchdown, the pilot applied the brakes. When the aircraft came to a stop the pilot stated he then radioed the kpih tower and reported where the aircraft was located and that everyone was okay. Before exiting the aircraft, he made sure everything was shut down. The pilots waited for the emergency response teams to arrive. Maintenance personel inspected the aircraft and found that there was not enough fuel in the left wing. The right wing had enough fuel but according to the pilot they did not switch to the appropriate fuel tank.

As the FAA filed it

AT 12:00 PM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2023, THE PILOT STAGED AT THE AVCENTER (FBO AT KPIH) AND PLANNED TO GO UP ON A SOCIAL FLIGHT TO GET FAMILIAR WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE PILOT STATED HE WENT THROUGH AND DID THE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION. AFTER THE PREFLIGHT EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD TO HIM, SO HE STARTED UP THE ENGINE AND TAXIED TO DO THE RUN-UP AND EVERYTHING WAS IN RANGE AND RUNNING GOOD. THE PILOT TOOK OFF AT APPROXIMATELY 12:30. HE DECIDED TO DO A FEW TOUCH AND GOES, AFTER FEELING COMFORTABLE HE DECIDED TO GO TO THE PRACTICE AREA. THE PILOT BEGAN PRACTICING SOME MANEUVERS AND DID A FEW STEEP TURNS. THE PILOT STATED HE SWITCHED FUEL TANKS AND WAS BURNING FROM THE LEFT WING. HE DECIDED TO TEST OUT AVIONICS AND HEADED TO DO THE PRACTICE ILS AND VOR APPROACHES INTO KPIH. WHEN LINEING UP FOR THE ILS THE ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO ADD IN THROTTLE REALIZING THE ENGINE HAD COMPLETE POWER LOSS. HE IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE PLANE BACK TO POCATELLO (KPIH). THE CO-PILOT PITCHED FOR THE GLIDE SPEED AS HE GOT THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST OUT. THE CO-PILOT COMPLETED THE CHECKLIST, CONSISTING OF: TURNING ON THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP, RICHENING THE MIXTURE, CHECKING THE MAGS, SWITCHING THE FUEL TANK AND ATTEMPTING TO RESTART. AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS OF RESTARTING, HE COULD NOT GET THE ENGINE TO START. THE CO-PILOT TOOK THE CONTROLS AND THEN DECLARED AN EMERGENCY TO THE POCATELLO TOWER AS HE PUT 7700 IN THE TRANSPONDER. THE CO-PILOT THEN BEGAN SEARCHING FOR THE SAFEST FIELD THAT HE COULD MAKE. UPON GETTING CLOSE, THE CO-PILOT PUT THE LANDING GEAR DOWN, KEPT CONTROL AND LANDED IN A CORN FIELD THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN HARVESTED. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE PILOT APPLIED THE BRAKES. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP THE PILOT STATED HE THEN RADIOED THE KPIH TOWER AND REPORTED WHERE THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED AND THAT EVERYONE WAS OKAY. BEFORE EXITING THE AIRCRAFT, HE MADE SURE EVERYTHING WAS SHUT DOWN. THE PILOTS WAITED FOR THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS TO ARRIVE. MAINTENANCE PERSONEL INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH FUEL IN THE LEFT WING. THE RIGHT WING HAD ENOUGH FUEL BUT ACCORDING TO THE PILOT THEY DID NOT SWITCH TO THE APPROPRIATE FUEL TANK.