Mooney 20E N31617
24 December 1993 · Linden, New Jersey, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 24 December 1993 at about 00:00 local time, a Mooney 20E registered N31617, operated by John Sanford, was involved in an accident near Linden, New Jersey, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 00:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Linden, New Jersey, United States
- Nearest airport
- Linden Municipal (LDJ)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Mooney 20E
- Registration
- N31617
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- John Sanford
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Charleston
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- NYC94LA044
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION WHICH FAILED TO DETECT WATER-CONTAMINATED FUEL AND RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
JUST AFTER TAKEOFF, AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET, THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. HE ELECTED TO LAND ON THE RUNWAY WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED. THE EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED 'LARGE QUANTITIES OF WATER,' FOUND IN THE FUEL INJECTORS, GASCOLATOR, MAIN FUEL LINE, AND THE RIGHT FUEL TANK.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney 20 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Aug 1992 | Mooney 20F | Lacon, Illinois, United States | Chien, Bruce B. | No injuries | - |
| 6 Nov 1991 | Mooney 20F | Basye, Virginia, United States | LEO J Killen | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jan 1991 | Mooney 20J | Newcastle, Oklahoma, United States | James D. Woodward | Fatal | 4 |
| 9 Jul 1995 | Mooney 20E | Burlington, Connecticut, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jan 1995 | Mooney 20J | St. Petersburg, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Jan 1997 | Mooney 20F | Jaffrey, New Hampshire, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 May 1993 | American General AG5B | Princeton, New Jersey, United States | Raritan Valley Flying School | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 May 1993 | Hockenbury BOWERS FLY BABY | Peapack, New Jersey, United States | Peter Hockenbury | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 May 1993 | Cessna 172P | Pittstown, New Jersey, United States | Royal Karina Air Service Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jul 1993 | Beatty GLASAIR SH-2 | Cape May, New Jersey, United States | Eugene J. Beatty | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Mar 1993 | Piper PA-23-250 | Elmwood Park, New Jersey, United States | Alan B. Fleischman | Fatal | 6 |
| 30 Jul 1993 | North American AT-6 | Matawan, New Jersey, United States | Bi-Plane Adventure Tours Inc. | No injuries | - |