- Date
- August 30, 2011, 09:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Allen, OK
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5501QMooney M20C
- Defining event
- Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 81655
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
A total loss of engine power in flight due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot’s inadequate fuel management.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that, while on a cross-country flight, the fuel in the left tank was exhausted and the engine stopped producing power. The pilot attempted to restore fuel to the engine by switching to the right tank, which contained fuel; however, realizing that he was too low to attempt an engine restart, he elected to perform a gear-up landing to a field. The airplane’s fuselage and right wing sustained substantial damage during the landing. No other preimpact anomalies with the airplane were reported.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that while on a cross-country flight, the fuel in the left tank was exhausted and the engine stopped producing power. The pilot attempted to restore fuel to the engine by switching to the right tank which contained fuel; however, realizing that he was too low to attempt an engine restart, he elected to perform a gear up landing to a field. The airplane’s fuselage and right wing sustained substantial damage during the landing. No other preimpact anomalies with the airplane were reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5501Q
- Reported as
- Mooney M20C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2939
- Airframe hours
- 4,447
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360 A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 29, 2011
- Departed
- MO64 · Kimberly City, MO
- Destination
- F30 · Sulphur, MO
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
- 66
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown
- Last flight review
- February 13, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 400 total · 40 in this make and model · 400 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
- Observed at
- ADH
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 3, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 330 KB in all.