- Date
- January 25, 1990, 19:30 local (Jan 26, 1990, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Parris Island, SC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8199EMooney M20A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900125001639A
- Case key
- 8203
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot to insure that sufficient fuel was aboard for the flight, resulting in fuel exhaustion.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The engine lost power shortly after takeoff. Post-accident examination of the airplane showed that none of the three fuel tanks contained any fuel. The engine was started and operated to full power with no evidence of failure or malfunction after the accident when fuel was supplied. Records indicated the aircraft was last fueled 3.47 hours before the accident, when the fuel quantity was brought up to 34 usable gallons. According to engine specifications, the engine consumed 11.0 gallons at 75% power, 10.3 gallons at 70% power, and 9.5 gallons at 65% power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8199E
- Reported as
- Mooney M20A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1470
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ernest A. Matacotta
- Registered owner
- Ernest Matcotta
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 19, 1989 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- 49J · Hilton Head, SC
- Destination
- 73J · Beaufort, SC
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,420 total · 3 in this make and model · 1,381 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 85 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 230° at 6 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NBC, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.