- Date
- September 1, 2026, 17:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Stanfield, NC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3706NMooney M-20
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 15, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 203724
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 failure to adequately manage the available fuel onboard the airplane, which resulted in a total loss of power due to fuel starvation and a forced landing on uneven terrain.
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
As the airplane approached the destination airport nearing the conclusion of 2 ½ hour-long cross-country flight the pilot reported that the airplane’s engine lost power. He attempted to restore engine power by manipulating the engine’s controls but was unsuccessful. He subsequently performed a forced landing to uneven terrain, and during the landing the airplane’s landing gear collapsed resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He also stated that following the accident, he observed the airplane’s left fuel tank was empty and realized that he had not repositioned the fuel selector from the left fuel tank following the loss of engine power (the right wing fuel tank was full). Given this information, the loss of engine power was likely the result of fuel starvation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3706N
- Reported as
- Mooney M-20 (G)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 680044
- Built
- 1967
- Airframe hours
- 4,160.6
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jsn Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Jsn Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 16, 2026
- Departed
- ONX · Maple, NC
- Destination
- EQY · Monroe, NC
- Airport
- EQY · Monroe/ Charlotte Executive
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 539.9 total · 14.2 in this make and model · 455.5 as pilot in command · 54.3 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 5.7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot-rated passenger
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- LKR, 23 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KLKR 012055Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 35/21 A3005
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 15, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.0 MB in all.
Other investigations on N3706N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.