Mooney M20E N1285X
8 June 2002 · Placerville, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 8 June 2002 at about 01:12 local time, a Mooney M20E registered N1285X was involved in an accident near Placerville, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:12
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Placerville, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 38.7047, -120.6494
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E
- Registration
- N1285X
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Bridgeport → Placerville
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX02LA187
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
A loss of engine power due to the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision which led to fuel exhaustion.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
About 6 miles from the pilot's home airport, all engine power was lost. The airplane impacted trees during its approach to a landing. A witness reported observing the airplane glide in very quietly with its propeller barely turning "as if only from the wind." The witness indicated that the airplane "skipped off the ground once, as if trying to land, and then lifted back into the air again." Thereafter, the airplane came back down and crashed into a grove of trees. The accident site was about 6 miles from the pilot's destination airport. No evidence of fuel spillage was noted on the ground around the crashed airplane. Between 10 and 15 drops of fuel were found in fuel lines. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions was observed during the engine examination.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20E accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Nov 2002 | Mooney M20E | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jan 2002 | Mooney M20E | Glasgow, Montana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 Sep 2002 | Mooney M20E | West Creek, New Jersey, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Jun 2003 | Mooney M20E | Guilford, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Apr 2003 | Mooney M20E | Milledgeville, Georgia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Apr 2001 | Mooney M20E | Saint Mamet, France | Alexander Stegner | Fatal | 3 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul 2002 | Ayres S2R-T34 | Firebaugh, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 2002 | Beechcraft A36TC | San Andreas, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 May 2002 | Sierra RAF 2000 GTX-SE | Lompoc, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Mar 2002 | Trenti RV-4 | Jacumba, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Feb 2002 | Thunder and Colt COLT 120 A | Moreno Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2002 | Pzl-Bielsko SZD-42-2 JANTAR | Hemet, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |