Mooney M20K C-FLQQ

Summary

On 10 February 2024 at about 19:45 local time, a Mooney M20K registered C-FLQQ was involved in an accident near Burley, Idaho, 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

10 February 2024 at 19:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Burley, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Burley Municipal AIrport (BYI)

Coordinates

42.0000, -113.0000

Aircraft

Mooney M20K

Registration

C-FLQQ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Great Falls → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR24LA087

1 person had minor injuries.

The failure of the pilot to fly a stabilized approach during an emergency landing with a tailwind, which resulted in a bounced landing and subsequent runway excursion during the landing roll. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane, which resulted in its operation with an inadequate quantity of oil, insufficient engine oil pressure, and a subsequent emergency landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while on a cross-country flight at a cruise altitude of FL 240, he observed a substantial drop in oil pressure and a subsequent loss of throttle response to the engine. Therefore, he declared an emergency and diverted to a nearby airport. During the approach, the airplane came in too high and fast, which resulted in the airplane bouncing during the landing. It subsequently exited the end of the runway and struck the airport perimeter fence and a metal trash container before coming to rest. The landing runway indicated about 7 knots of tailwind. Additionally, the pilot did not fly a stabilized approach in airspeed and altitude parameters. The cumulative effect of the tailwind, unstabilized approach, and reduced braking from the airplane bouncing led to the runway excursion that followed. The postaccident examination revealed no evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation of the engine. Initially, only a small quantity of oil was noted in the engine. After four quarts of oil were added, the oil quantity measured in the normal operating range. The engine was then motored from the starter, and a normal reading of oil pressure was indicated. During the motoring, no oil leaks were detected. Based on the results of the examination, the pilot likely performed an inadequate preflight and did not ensure that the airplane’s oil quantity was appropriately serviced before the flight, which resulted in the low oil pressure reading during flight. The reason for the reported loss of throttle response could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.