- Date
- February 3, 1990, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Winter Haven, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1173EMooney M-20K-231
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900203001519A
- Case key
- 32623
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 in command failed to properly pre-flight the airplane and assure that an adequate fuel supply was onboard to complete the intended flight. This resulted in an engine failure due to fuel exhaustion.
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
The private pilot did not visually confirm the fuel quantity on the airplane during preflight. One hour and fifteen minutes after takeoff the engine failed due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot estimated there were about 17 gallons on the airplane prior to departure. During the subsequent forced landing the airplane struck trees and was substantially damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1173E
- Reported as
- Mooney M-20K-231
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0723
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-GB, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Charles V. Mcadam
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- VRB · Vero Beach, FL
- Destination
- GIF · Winterhaven, FL
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
- 65
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,766 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 1,150 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAL, 13 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.