WPR25LA048

While conducting instrument approach training, the pilot flying and a safety pilot requested and received clearance for a VOR approach and landed. After landing, the pilot taxied back for departure. The pilot reported that, before departing, he checked the fuel quantity indicators and observed about 20 gallons of fuel in the left tank and about 12 gallons in the right tank. Following departure, the airplane climbed to about 2,000 ft mean sea level (msl) when the engine began to run rough, and the airplane started to descend. As the pilot initiated a left turn back toward the airport, the engine sustained a total loss of power. Realizing that he could not reach the runway, the pilot extended the landing gear and selected a nearby road for an emergency landing. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with a light pole, a fire hydrant, and a tree. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The left fuel quantity indicator was found to be inoperative. The fuel selector was found to be positioned to the left tank, which had been breached during the accident sequence and contained no recoverable fuel. About 5 gallons of fuel were recovered from the right fuel tank. A visual inspection of the fuel system was conducted and continuity was established from the main fuel tanks throughout the system; however, no fuel was observed. The total amount of fuel onboard the airplane and quantity per fuel tank before the flight could not be determined. Based on the available evidence, it is possible the pilot exhausted the fuel supply in the selected tank and subsequently switched to the opposite tank, which contained insufficient usable fuel to sustain engine operation or allow a successful restart, however, it could not be determined. The available evidence was insufficient to determine whether the engine power loss resulted from fuel exhaustion or fuel starvation.

On November 25, 2024, about 1345 Pacific standard time, a Mooney M20F airplane, N9245V, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fullerton Municipal Airport (FUL), Fullerton, California. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he and a pilot-rated passenger departed Brackett Field Airport (POC), La Verne, California, to conduct instrument flight training. According to the pilot, the airplane had been fueled several days earlier near Las Vegas, Nevada, and was serviced with approximately 30 gallons of fuel. The flight to FUL was uneventful. After completing a full-stop landing at FUL, the pilot taxied the airplane back to the runway for departure. Following takeoff, the airplane climbed to approximately 2,000 ft msl while departing the airport traffic pattern. Shortly thereafter, the engine began to run rough. The pilot initiated a return to FUL; however, during the return, the engine lost total power. The pilot stated that the airplane was unable to reach the runway. He lowered the landing gear and executed a forced landing on a road about 1,000 ft short of the runway. During the landing sequence, the airplane struck a light pole, a fire hydrant, and a tree. Both wings sustained substantial damage. Wreckage recovery personnel reported that the left tank was breached by impact forces; they detected no odor of fuel and observed no fuel residue in the left fuel tank. They also reported no noticeable discoloration of the surrounding vegetation that would have been consistent with a postimpact fuel spill. About five gallons of fuel were recovered from the right fuel tank during airplane recovery. Examination of the recovered airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet, Note 1, lists a total fuel capacity of 48.4 gallons for the 1969 Mooney M20F, including 2.5 gallons of unusable fuel. The airplane was recovered with approximately 5 gallons of fuel remaining in the right fuel tank. Assuming both tanks were topped off during the last refueling, approximately 43.4 gallons of usable fuel would have been available after fueling. Before departing POC, the pilot checked the fuel quantity indicators and observed about 120 pounds of fuel (about 20 gallons) in the left tank and 70 pounds in the right tank (about 12 gallons). During examination, both fuel quantity gauges were tested. The right fuel gauge needle actuated and appeared to operate, while the left fuel gauge needle did not move when tested. The fuel selector was found positioned to the left fuel tank at the time of the exam. No fuel was observed in any of the engine fuel lines when they were removed for examination. All fuel system B-nuts were secure at their respective fittings, and there was no evidence of afuel leak. Additionally, no impact-related damage was identified to any fuel system components, lines, or fittings that would have compromised fuel flow. The engine manufacturer lists a cruise fuel consumption rate of 7.8 to 11.5 gallons per hour (gph) for the engine in the accident airplane, depending on mixture setting and altitude. These values do not include the higher fuel flow associated with climb operations, which is listed as 15.6 to 22.0 gph. Based on the engine manufacturer’s fuel-planning figures and the airplane’s 43.4 gallons of usable fuel, the estimated fuel consumption would have been about 32.7 to 48.3 gallons, or an estimated endurance of between about 3 hours and 46 minutes to about 5 hours and 33 minutes. The pilot reported planning for a fuel consumption rate of 7 to 10 gph. Based on those figures and the airplane’s 43.4 gallons of usable fuel, the estimated fuel usage would have ranged from about 29.4 to 42.0 gallons, or an estimated endurance between about 4 hours and 20 minutes to 6 hours and 12 minutes. Recovered ADS-B data obtained from a commercial source showed the airplane had been operated for about 4 hours and 12 minutes since the last reported refueling.