- Date
- June 30, 1989, 15:35 local (19:35 UTC)
- Place
- Weirton, WV
- Injuries
- 3 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1950YMooney M20E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890630018829A
- Case key
- 11511
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
Loss of engine power due to water in the fuel and inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane by the pilot.
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 plt stated that the preflight included draining fuel to check for water and none was found. He stated that about 5 minutes after takeoff, shortly after he leveled at 2300 ft MSL, the engine lost power. Attempts to restart the engine was unsuccessful. A forced landing was made on wooded terrain and the acft struck several trees before it came to a stop. Examination of the engine revealed water in the fuel injection servo unit, fuel strainer and electric boost fuel pump. The left wing fuel tank was used during the flight and it ruptured during the impact sequence. About 2 ounces of water was drained from the right wing fuel tank. According to the plt, the fuel tanks were not full before the flight and this was the first flight in about a month.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1950Y
- Reported as
- Mooney M20E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 257
- Airframe hours
- 2,552
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Walter Sadauskas
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1988 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- P64 · Burgettstown, PA
- Destination
- TSO · Carrollton, OH
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 580 total · 560 in this make and model · 535 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIT, 18 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.
Other investigations on N1950Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.