- Date
- February 22, 1989, 16:45 local (Feb 23, 1989, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Incline Village, NV
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N94276Mooney M20K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890222028179A
- Case key
- 40913
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's improper use of the fuel system when troubleshooting surging fuel pressure. A contributing factor was snow conditions which impaired the pilot's ability to make a proper forced landing.
Analysis
Shortly after leveling off at cruise, the pilot noted a loss of fuel flow. The pilot turned the fuel boost pump on and fuel flow returned to normal. With the fuel boost pump off the fuel flow dropped below 6 gph and the aircraft engine died. The pilot attempted a restart, but was not successful. The aircraft descended below the clouds into heavy snow showers. The aircraft struck a tree and then rolled inverted before striking the ground. Post-accident, the engine was started and test run in a test cell. No mechanical malfunction was found.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N94276
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0481
- Airframe hours
- 2,203
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-6B, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Performance Aircraft, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Performance Aircraft Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 5, 1988 · 55 hours before
- Departed
- RNO · Reno, NV
- Destination
- HWD · Hayward, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 58
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,504 total · 581 in this make and model · 3,313 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 230° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F
- Observed at
- RNO, 18 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.