Mooney M20J N201CE

Summary

On 4 June 2000 at about 19:42 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N201CE was involved in an accident near Carson City, Nevada, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 June 2000 at 19:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Carson City, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Carson City (CXP)

Coordinates

39.1922, -119.7344

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N201CE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Carson City → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX00LA215

4 people were seriously injured.

a loss of engine power due to contamination of the fuel system resulting in partial blockage of the cylinder number 2 fuel injection nozzle. A factor in the accident was the high density altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with the ground during an off airport forced landing after the airplane began losing altitude immediately after lift off. In the morning, the pilot had flown from another airport direct at 13,500 feet without experiencing any problems and intended to take 3 passengers up on a local flight. On the accident flight, he completed a full power run up and leaned to slightly rich of best power. His run up was normal, the engine was running smoothly, and he felt that it was developing full power. He had picked a go-no-go point that he estimated was about 2,000 feet down the runway. The airplane accelerated normally and lifted off well before his selected go-no-go point. The airplane attained expected climb speed, but a less than expected climb rate. All of the instruments seemed to be within normal ranges, but the airplane stopped climbing. The airplane was approaching the end of the runway and steadily losing altitude. The pilot set up for the off airport landing but saw a berm directly ahead. In order to avoid the obstruction, he aggressively pushed the yoke forward, and applied full right rudder. The left wing speared into the ground and the airplane cart wheeled. The spark plugs for cylinder no. 2 were lighter in color than the others. Investigators observed an unidentified particle obstructing the cylinder no. 2 fuel injection nozzle, and water in the fuel flow divider. The flow divider diaphragm was intact and undamaged. The engine driven fuel pump's internal cavities displayed areas of corrosion. The valve bodies had areas of rust where material was missing. Sediment was resting on the compensator diaphragm. The gascolator was clean. The fuel servo fuel inlet screen was not contaminated. Examination of the fuel injector servo revealed internal corrosion, and contamination by a large piece of black contamination on the unmetered side of the diaphragm. The servo flowed satisfactorily during the bench test, but was somewhat rich. A review of the airplane's logbooks revealed an overhaul of the injection system at the same time of an engine overhaul in November 1998. A logbook entry dated January 17, 2000, noted an ultrasonic cleaning of the fuel nozzles. The density altitude was computed to be 7,680 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.