Mooney M20F N737JC

Summary

On 26 December 1996 at about 17:49 local time, a Mooney M20F registered N737JC, operated by Theodore R. Coleman, was involved in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, 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

26 December 1996 at 17:49

Classification

Accident

Location

Daytona Beach, Florida, United States

Coordinates

29.1892, -81.0507

Aircraft

Mooney M20F

Registration

N737JC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Theodore R. Coleman

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elizabeth City → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL97LA028

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate in-flight fuel consumption calculations, and the excessive flow of the fuel injector servo, that combined to result in fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Because the flight was taking longer than expected, the pilot elected to divert for fuel. While being vectored for an approach, the engine quit. During the ensuing forced landing, the airplane collided with trees and the ground. There was no evidence of a loss of fuel during the flight nor at the accident site, and the engine was operated following the accident. However, testing of the fuel injector servo revealed that its flow exceeded the maximum limit. The pilot stated he was using 11 gallons per hour for fuel usage planning. Using the power setting and altitude the pilot reported he used during the flight, the engine manufacturers operating manual indicated that the fuel usage would be between 11.3 and 13 gallons per hour (gph), depending on the mixture setting. Based on the elapsed time of the flight, the usable fuel supply in the airplane, and the excessive fuel servo flow, at 11.3 gph, about six gallons of fuel would have remained in the airplane. At 13 gph, more fuel than the usable capacity would have been needed. The fuel usage, therefore, exceeded the pilot's planned usage, discounting the servo's excessive flow rate.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.