Mooney M20 N1159G

Summary

On 4 January 2017 at about 21:45 local time, a Mooney M20 registered N1159G was involved in an accident near Nacogdoches, Texas, 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

4 January 2017 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Nacogdoches, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

A L Mangham Jr Rgnl (OCH)

Coordinates

31.5828, -94.7069

Aircraft

Mooney M20

Registration

N1159G

Category

Airplane

Year built

1982

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kerrville → Nacogdoches

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN17LA068

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination and testing of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a cross-country personal flight. He reported that he entered the downwind pattern at his home airfield and prepared the airplane to land using the manufacturer's checklist, which included selecting the fullest fuel tank, setting flaps to 5°, and lowering the landing gear. While on an extended downwind leg, the pilot noticed that the airplane had descended to between 700 and 800 ft above ground level, so he added engine power to climb back to pattern altitude, but the engine stopped producing power. The pilot turned the airplane toward the runway, which he estimated was more than 1.5 miles away. He realized that he was not going to be able to glide the configured airplane to the runway, so he performed a forced landing to a field but landed short in a wooded area. Examination and testing of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Maintenance had recently been conducted on the fuel selector's union fitting. The mechanic who conducted the maintenance reported purging the lines of air and conducting a successful postmaintenance test flight before releasing the airplane to the pilot. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.