- Date
- December 23, 1993, 19:00 local (Dec 24, 1993, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Linden, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N31617Mooney 20E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931223051289A
- Case key
- 38724
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 inadequate preflight inspection which failed to detect water-contaminated fuel and resulted in the loss of engine power.
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
Just after takeoff, at an altitude of approximately 300 feet, the pilot experienced a total loss of engine power. He elected to land on the runway with the landing gear retracted. The examination of the airplane revealed 'large quantities of water,' found in the fuel injectors, gascolator, main fuel line, and the right fuel tank.
Factual narrative
On December 23, 1993, about 0930 eastern standard time, a Mooney 23E, N31617, piloted by Mr. John Sanford, collided with the terrain during a forced landing at the Linden Airport, Linden, New Jersey. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91.
The airplane had just departed the airport, and at an altitude of 300 feet the airplane's engine lost total power. The pilot elected to land back on the runway with the landing gear retracted.
The FAA took fuel samples and according to FAA Inspector, Victor Roxas's written report, fuel taken from the injectors, "revealed large quantities of water." Fuel samples taken from the gascolater, main fuel lines, aft of the mechanical pump, and the left fuel tank, "...also revealed large quantities of water."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31617
- Reported as
- Mooney 20E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2A3
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John Sanford
- Registered owner
- Ted Meblaghlin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- JZI · Charleston, SC
- Airport
- LDJ · Linden Municipal, runway 9, 4,139 × 75 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
- 27
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 547 total · 145 in this make and model · 547 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 6, 1995, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 395 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.