- Date
- July 9, 2008, 12:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rogers, AR
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7072VMooney M20
- Defining event
- Approach: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080709840779A
- Case key
- 68408
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 loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision.
Findings · 1
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 she departed on a cross-country flight, with a planned duration of about 3 hours and 20 minutes. During the flight she leaned the mixture and switched fuel tanks on the hour. During the approach to the destination airport the engine "coughed and ran rough", the pilot stated that she changed fuel tanks and turned on the boost pump. The engine "coughed" again, and she determined that she could not make the runway, which was about 4 miles way. She elected to perform a forced landing in a nearby field. The aircraft was substantially damaged during the forced landing. Air traffic control tower's last radio contact with the aircraft stated that the pilot reported that she did not have enough gas and would have to land in a field. Aircraft recovery personnel reported that the fuel tanks had not been breeched during the accident and that the fuel tanks were empty.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that she departed on a cross-country flight, with a planned duration of about 3 hours and 20 minutes. During the flight she leaned the mixture and switched fuel tanks on the hour. During the approach to the destination airport the engine "coughed and ran rough", the pilot stated that she changed fuel tanks and turned on the boost pump. The engine "coughed" again, and she determined that could not make the runway, which was about 4 miles way. The pilot elected to perform a forced landing in a nearby field. The aircraft was substantially damaged during the forced landing. Air traffic control tower's last radio contact with the aircraft, stated that the pilot reported that she did not have enough gas and would have to land in a field. Aircraft recovery personnel reported that the fuel tanks had not been breeched during the accident and that the fuel tanks were empty.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7072V
- Reported as
- Mooney M20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-1209
- Airframe hours
- 4,175
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Double J Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 2007
- Departed
- SAT · San Antonio, TX
- Destination
- ROG · Rogers, AR
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ROG · Rogers Municipal-Carter Field
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
- 36
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,698 total · 38 in this make and model · 5,489 as pilot in command · 119 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 600 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- KROG
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.