Mooney M20J N66201

Summary

On 21 September 2018 at about 02:30 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N66201, operated by Aviation Academy Hawaii, was involved in an accident near Kapolei, Hawaii, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 September 2018 at 02:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Kapolei, Hawaii, United States

Nearest airport

Kalaeloa (John Rodgers Field) (JRF)

Coordinates

21.3072, -158.0703

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N66201

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Aviation Academy Hawaii

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Honolulu → Kapolei

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR18LA280

Nobody was injured.

Loss of engine power due to water in the fuel lines.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that, during the pre-flight, a small amount of water was drained from the left fuel tank; no water was noted in the sample from the right tank. Following the departure on the instructional flight, the CFI and the pilot receiving instruction conducted several maneuvers before practicing touch-and-go landings; fuel tanks were regularly switched throughout the flight.  During the sixth takeoff, with the landing gear and flaps retracted, at about 300 ft above ground level, the engine lost power.  The CFI took control of the airplane, switched fuel tanks, and attempted to troubleshoot the engine, but he was unsuccessful. He initiated a forced landing to the runway with the landing gear in the UP position to avoid rolling into unknown grassy terrain. During the postaccident examination, some water was drained from the left fuel tank. The right fuel tank was free of water. The fuel collected from the fuel line going into the fuel injectors also contained some water. The propeller was rotated manually, and the continuity was established throughout the engine. No mechanical issues with the engine were noted at the time. It is likely the engine lost power due to water in the fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.