Mooney M20J N9201R

Summary

On 18 August 2013 at about 19:48 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N9201R was involved in an accident near Kansas City, Missouri, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 August 2013 at 19:48

Classification

Accident

Location

Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Charles B. Wheeler Downtown (MKC)

Coordinates

39.1505, -94.5790

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N9201R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kansas City → Youngstown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13FA496

2 people died.

The pilot's improper decision to attempt continued flight after a momentary loss of engine power with usable runway remaining. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's premature retraction of the landing gear, the loss of engine power due to fuel system water contamination, and the pilot's failure to detect the fuel contamination during the preflight inspection.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

**This report was modified on 1/5/2015. Please see the public docket for this accident to view the original report. ** The airplane experienced a total loss of engine power during takeoff from a runway that had a usable length of 6,827 feet; however, the pilot initiated the takeoff from a taxiway intersection, which left only about 5,313 feet of runway remaining. After the loss of engine power, the airplane descended to about 10 feet above ground level (agl) with the landing gear retracted; about half of the runway length remained. Engine power was restored, and the airplane subsequently climbed to between about 300 and 400 agl. The engine again lost power, and the airplane subsequently stalled and impacted a field. The landing gear remained retracted. Typically, the landing gear should be retracted after liftoff when the airplane has reached an altitude where, in the event of an engine failure or other emergency requiring an aborted takeoff, the airplane could no longer be landed on the runway. The airplane arrived at the departure airport 3 days before the accident and was parked on the ramp. There was a trace of precipitation at the airport on the day of arrival and no precipitation on subsequent days. Examination of the airplane revealed the presence of water in the fuel diaphragm and fuel servo. No evidence of fuel contamination in the fuel pumps was found, and no reports of fuel contamination or engine power loss of airplanes that had been refueled from the fuel pumps before and after the accident were made. Examination of the fuel filler caps revealed that the cap components were in place and that both caps were in place and secure. When water was poured onto the fuel caps when they were placed and secured back into position, they exhibited leakage into the fuel tank; however, the extent of deformation around the filler neck due to accident damage was unknown. During the most recent annual inspection, it was noted that the fuel cap O-rings were replaced because of water contamination of the fuel system. No record was found indicating that maintenance personnel pressurized the fuel tanks to check for fuel cap leakage in accordance with the airplane manufacturer's maintenance instructions. No internal obstruction was noted in the fuel system that would have precluded the pilot from detecting water in the system while sumping it during the preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.