Mooney M20E N1306W

Summary

On 18 May 1998 at about 03:30 local time, a Mooney M20E registered N1306W, operated by Flight Training, Inc., was involved in an accident near Watkins, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 May 1998 at 03:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Watkins, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Front Range (FTG)

Coordinates

39.7508, -104.5990

Aircraft

Mooney M20E

Registration

N1306W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Flight Training, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Akron → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

FTW98LA222

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain visual contact with the taxiway. Factors were the pilot's disabling the electrical system by turning off the master switch, a dark night, and excessive taxi speed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said that he experienced a total electrical failure while on a night cross-country flight. He landed without incident but while taxiing along the unlit taxiway, he lost sight of the centerline stripe. The airplane went off the taxiway and down an embankment. The airport night manager said the pilot told him he would 'turn on the navigation lights, if necessary,' to warn other airplanes. Postaccident inspection disclosed that when the master switch was turned on, all electrical components functioned normally. A specific gravity check indicated the battery was fully charged. According to the operator's records, the Hobbs meter and tachometer registered 65.9 and 3903.3, respectively, when the pilot checked the airplane out. At the accident site, the Hobbs meter and tachometer registered 67.6 and 3905.1, respectively, a Hobbs meter difference of 1.7 hours and a tachometer difference of 1.8 hours. The operator said he believed the pilot had turned off the master switch in an attempt to save on rental charges. He had also received reports from other renter pilots who said the pilot had bragged about saving money by turning off the master switch. An FAA inspector said that, based on the point where the aircraft departed the taxiway and its point of impact, taxi speed was excessive.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.