Mooney M20C N6728U

Summary

On 1 June 2020 at about 22:15 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N6728U was involved in an accident near Lahoma, Oklahoma, United States. One person was 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

1 June 2020 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Lahoma, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

Enid Municipal (WDG)

Coordinates

36.3875, -98.0897

Aircraft

Mooney M20C

Registration

N6728U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oklahoma City → Lahoma

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20CA249

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and the pilot’s improper fuel planning before the flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After about 1 hour of normal flight, the engine lost power. The pilot switched from the right fuel tank to the left fuel tank and the engine restarted. About 5 minutes later, the engine lost power again. The pilot decided to land the airplane in a field since the nearest airport was about 8 miles away. Upon touchdown in the field, the airplane hit a berm, and the landing gear collapsed. The aft fuselage and empennage sustained substantial damage. After the accident, the pilot reported that he was not familiar with the recently purchased airplane’s fuel system. He also stated that he normally topped off his fuel tanks before each flight, but he did not do so before the accident flight. Examination of the airplane at the accident site confirmed that there was no usable fuel on board.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.