- Date
- February 20, 1986, 12:26 local (20:26 UTC)
- Place
- Phoenix, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8135EMooney MK-20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860220070489A
- Case key
- 25076
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
A Mooney mk 20 collided with the runway surface after an engine failure. The engine failed on climb at about 1500 feet AGL and would not restart. The aircraft returned to the airport and landed downwind. The landing gear collapsed and the aircraft skidded off the runway. The pilot suspected fuel starvation as the cause of the engine failure and reported the aircraft had approximately 23 gallons of fuel prior to the flight. There was fuel in the aircraft's left fuel tank, and the right fuel tank and auxillary tank were empty. The fuel selector switch was found to be in the right fuel tank position. The aircraft engine and fuel pump were were test stand operated and found to be normal. The fuel line from the fuel boost pump to the carburetor was sheared on impact and it could not be determined if fuel was being supplied to the engine at the time of failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8135E
- Reported as
- Mooney MK-20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1406
- Airframe hours
- 1,833
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William T. Catching
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 9, 1985 · 21 hours before
- Airport
- DVT · Deer Valley Muniu, runway 7R, 5,300 × 100 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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 501 total · 54 in this make and model · 440 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DVT
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8135E · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.