- Date
- November 29, 1992, 14:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Orange, VA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N231JUMooney M20K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921129048219A
- Case key
- 11891
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
Water contamination in the fuel, and inadequate preflight inspection.
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 pilot said that he performed a preflight which included draining the fuel sumps, and run up before takeoff. During climb out at about 3400 feet, the engine lost power. The pilot completed the emergency checklist which included attempting to restart the engine, and switching fuel tanks, but all were unsuccessful. The pilot reversed direction and returned to the departure airport; however, the airplane touched down 100 feet short of the runway and collided with a hill. An inspection by the FAA revealed water in the right fuel tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N231JU
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 309134
- Airframe hours
- 1,380
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-GBI, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rouben Yedigarian
- Registered owner
- Rouben A Yedigarian
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1992 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- W93
- Destination
- W49 · Culpepper, VA
- Airport
- W93 · Orange County, runway 7, 3,200 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 238 total · 134 in this make and model · 46 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 37 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.