- Date
- July 31, 1989, 21:00 local (Aug 1, 1989, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fouke, AR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6249UMooney M20C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890731029599A
- Case key
- 34842
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 inaccurate fuel consumption calculations which resulted in fuel exhaustion, at night. The ensuing forced landing resulted in a collision with a fencepost, ground swerve, and collapse of the right main landing gear.
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 plt said that prior to departing his last stop, he was unable to purchase fuel as the arpt was unattended at the time. Continuing on without refueling, the engine quit about 15 miles from his destination airport. An emergency landing was attempted, during a dark night, and the acft struck a fence, then spun around causing the right main gear to collapse. Post flight investigation revealed the fuel tanks to be empty of usable fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6249U
- Reported as
- Mooney M20C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2088
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Moore, Clinton H.
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- RNV · Cleveland, MS
- Destination
- TXK · Texarkana, AR
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 513 total · 309 in this make and model · 423 as pilot in command · 86 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 30° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Observed at
- TXK, 15 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.