- Date
- February 9, 2007, 22:30 local (Feb 10, 2007, 04:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ingalls, KS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5737MMooney M20K
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report May 29, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20070209003569A
- Case key
- 65437
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 pilot's inadequate in-flight planning and decision making, and failure to refuel while en route, resulting in loss of engine power during cruise due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the poor weather at the pilot's destination.
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
According to the pilot, he was diverting to another airport, after attempting an instrument approach at his original destination. The pilot reported that, " the engine started to sputter again, then quit. I was out of fuel." The pilot performed a forced landing to a field, resulting in substantial damage. An examination of the airplane's systems, conducted by the FAA, revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
According to the accident report submitted by the pilot, he was diverting to Dodge City, Kansas (DDC), after attempting an instrument approach to the Garden City Airport. The pilot reported that, "half way to DDC the engine started to sputter again, then quit. I was out of fuel." The pilot performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, both landing gear separated and the step on the right side was bent aft. The bulkhead on the bottom right side of the fuselage was bent. An examination of the airplane's systems, conducted by the FAA, revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5737M
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0781
- Airframe hours
- 2,412
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 2007
- Departed
- MYF · San Diego, CA
- Destination
- GCK · Garden City, KS
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DDC · Dodge City Regional
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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2006
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 837 total · 697 in this make and model · 22 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Wind
- 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KDDC, 6 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.