Mooney 20G N3588X

Summary

On 6 March 1999 at about 17:10 local time, a Mooney 20G registered N3588X, operated by Gulf Coast Airways, was involved in an accident near Naples, Florida, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 March 1999 at 17:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Naples, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Naples Municipal (APF)

Coordinates

26.0309, -81.7599

Aircraft

Mooney 20G

Registration

N3588X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Gulf Coast Airways

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA99LA100

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's improper procedure by not placing the fuel selector on the tank with the most fuel, which resulted in fuel starvation and a off airport forced landing. Contributing factors in this accident were the pilot's inadequate pre-flight and in-flight planning.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight was in the traffic pattern and the pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings and takeoffs. The pilot reported that he had completed a touch-and-go on runway 14, and on climb out was assigned a right hand traffic pattern. On crosswind the airplane's engine lost complete power. The pilot said, '...I pitched down and tried to restart the engine, on either tank using both the starter and windmilling.' He attempted to make a forced landing to a golf course, but decided on a road, because there were people on the golf course. The airplane landed on the road gear up, heading southbound, skidded forward, and the right wing struck two mailboxes. The airplane continued forward striking a tree, and separating a portion of the right wing. Examination of the wreckage revealed that there was no fuel in the right main tank. No fuel was found in the carburetor, and the fuel selector was found in the 'OFF' position. About 10 gallons of fuel were found in the left tank. The left fuel system operated without discrepancies, and fuel flowed from the tank. No broken fuel lines were found, and the engine displayed no discrepancies. The airplane flew 1.7 hours before the flight on March 6, 1999. The airplane was last refueled on February 11, 1999. The FAA inspector wrote in his report, '...subsequent fuel calculations revealed that at the time of the accident, the right fuel tank would have been empty of usable fuel.' In addition the pilot said, '...that when the engine failed...that he had been flying on the right tank for approximately 45 minutes prior to the accident. He also stated that he tried to select the left fuel tank but it is possible that he may have selected the 'Off' position inadvertently.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.