Mooney M20K N231HX

Summary

On 13 June 2005 at about 17:02 local time, a Mooney M20K registered N231HX was involved in an accident near Jefferson City, Missouri, United States. 2 people were 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.

Date

13 June 2005 at 17:02

Classification

Accident

Location

Jefferson City, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Jefferson City Meml (JEF)

Coordinates

38.5006, -92.1296

Aircraft

Mooney M20K

Registration

N231HX

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Knoxville → Kansas City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI05LA138

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's delay in diverting to an alternate destination due to low fuel indications which led to the fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power and the subsequent forced landing. Factors were the pilot's improper preflight inspection which resulted in an undetected fuel drain leak and his misjudged glidepath during the precautionary landing which led to a go-around and the subsequent fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that the airplane fuel tanks were filled prior to the flight and that the fuel burn during the flight was between 11 and 11.3 gallons per hour, which agrees with data obtained from the Pilot Operating Handbook (POH). The duration of the flight was about 3 hours and 47 minutes. The POH listed the airplane fuel capacity was 72 gallons of useable fuel. The pilot further stated that he alternated burning fuel from each tank during the flight and that he had noticed that the fuel quantity indication did not agree with what he had expected. He stated that for between 30 and 45 minutes he had been planning for alternate airports due to weather and fuel concerns. While burning fuel from the left fuel tank, the engine lost power and the pilot switched to the right fuel tank. The engine re-started and the pilot diverted to an airport about 5 to 6 miles away. The pilot stated that he circled to lose altitude and executed an approach to the runway. He stated that when he turned onto final approach he realized that he was too high and executed a go-around. He reported that the engine again lost power as he was turning onto the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. During the off-airport landing the airplane impacted the ground in a wings level attitude with the landing gear extended. The pilot stated that, although he closed the gascolator fuel drain from within the cockpit, he believed that the fuel drain remained open allowing approximately 30 gallons of fuel to be lost during the flight. The preflight checklist procedures specify draining the gascolator prior to the external airplane examination. According to the airplane manufacturer, a leaking gascolator drain should be detectable during the external examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.