# Accident 20240316002279A: Mooney Aircraft Corp. M20K, Farmington, CA, March 16, 2024

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 16, 2024, 12:45 local time
- Place: Farmington, CA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.8851° N, 120.9350° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.8851&lon=-120.9350&mi=10
- Aircraft: N38RK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N38RK-2025-12-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20K (registry code 5870220, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20k) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY AIRCRAFT CORP. M20K
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 809 total, 388 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR24LA114](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24LA114) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240316002279A

## Narrative

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

ON MARCH 16, 2024, A PILOT AND A PASSENGER DEPARTED FROM AUBURN MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (AUN) WITH THE PLAN TO STOP AT OAKDALE AIRPORT (027) TO REFUEL BEFORE HEADING TO THE PILOT'S FINAL DESTINATION, SAN MARTIN AIRPORT (E16). HOWEVER, APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE OAKDALE AIRPORT, THE AIRCRAFT WAS FORCED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY OFF-FIELD LANDING DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE AIRPLANE LANDED ON A DIRT ROAD PARALLEL TO A FENCE BETWEEN TWO PASTURES. THE PLANE'S RIGHT WING HIT THE FENCE DURING THE LANDING, CAUSING IT TO VEER TOWARDS THE RIGHT AND GO THROUGH THE FENCE INTO THE ADJACENT PASTURE. THE PLANE EVENTUALLY CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP IN THE CENTER OF THE PASTURE. NEITHER THE PILOT NOR THE PASSENGER WERE INJURED, BUT THE PLANE SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.

## 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 WPR24LA114](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24LA114), Mar 16, 2024: Mooney M20K (N38RK), Farmington, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s improper preflight fuel planning that resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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.