Mooney M20M N486KC

Summary

On 3 March 2012 at about 19:40 local time, a Mooney M20M registered N486KC, operated by Charles Crathern, was involved in an accident near Amisville, Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

3 March 2012 at 19:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Amisville, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

38.8083, -78.0772

Aircraft

Mooney M20M

Registration

N486KC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Charles Crathern

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Georgetown → Hagerstown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA206

2 people were seriously injured.

A total loss of engine power during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined because of the damage due to the postcrash fire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, the airplane was cruising in smooth, clear air at 9,000 feet. About 30 minutes from the destination airport, the pilot descended the airplane to 5,000 feet and into moderate-to-severe turbulence. The airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot pushed the throttle forward, which activated the airplane's fuel boost pump and positioned the mixture to full rich, but the engine did not regain power. The pilot stated that each fuel tank was half-full at the time. He further stated that he did not switch tanks as he was preoccupied with where to land the airplane. The pilot thought the right fuel tank was selected when the power loss occurred, but he could not be certain. Due to mountainous terrain, the pilot could not glide the airplane to an airport, and he performed a forced landing to a field. The pilot didn't believe the loss of engine power was a mechanical failure as there was no engine roughness preceding the event. He believed that it was a fuel or air issue, possibly related to the severe turbulence that he had descended into. The airplane did not fly through any clouds or precipitation during the descent or prior to the power loss. Postcrash fire consumed a majority of the wreckage, including the cockpit and wing fuel tanks, which precluded an examination of the fuel and induction systems. The fuel selector was identified and observed in the left main fuel tank position, but the preimpact position of the fuel selector could not be positively determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.