Mooney M20C N33WL

Summary

On 13 July 2003 at about 03:30 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N33WL was involved in an accident near Utica, Ohio, United States. One person was 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

13 July 2003 at 03:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Utica, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Knox County Airport (4I3)

Coordinates

40.2442, -82.5514

Aircraft

Mooney M20C

Registration

N33WL

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Galloway → Mt. Vernon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC03CA156

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's improper fuel consumption calculations, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the unsuitable terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he planned on a 3.2 hour flight with four legs. He departed with 32 gallons of fuel onboard and thought that it was sufficient for the flight and 30 minutes of reserve. He also reported that he based his flight planning on flying at 105 knots (120 mph); however, he used a higher power setting and the airplane cruised at 120 knots (138 mph). On the last leg, as the pilot neared his destination airport, the engine lost power and he performed an off-airport, forced landing. The pilot lost airspeed as he cleared a line of trees. He then lowered the nose, and when he tried to flare, the nose would not come up. The airplane struck the ground in a nose-low attitude, and the nosewheel "drove" into the soft terrain. The pilot reported that the power loss was due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot also reported that he did not verify the fuel quantity onboard the airplane prior to his last departure. A check of the pilot's route revealed that he flew near two airports where he could have landed and refueled prior to experiencing fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.