Mooney M-20F N6434Q

Summary

On 14 October 1996 at about 13:40 local time, a Mooney M-20F registered N6434Q was involved in an accident near Griffin, Georgia, 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

14 October 1996 at 13:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Griffin, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Griffin Spalding County (6A2)

Coordinates

33.2397, -84.2705

Aircraft

Mooney M-20F

Registration

N6434Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Peachtree City → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL97LA005

1 person had minor injuries.

Fuel system contamination that resulted in fuel starvation and subsequent loss of engine power. A factor was rough terrain at the emergency landing site.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Ten minutes into the flight, and while on a visual approach for a full stop landing, the pilot reported that the engine developed a rough running condition. The procedures attempted by the pilot to restore flight sustaining engine power, failed. The pilot selected a forced landing area. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with a fence, and came to rest adjacent to a state road. Fuel samples were collected from both main fuel tanks and the fuel selector at the accident site. An additional fuel sample was collected from the fuel tanker at the departure airport that refueled the airplane. The examination of the fuel samples from both main fuel tanks disclosed an abnormally high level of contamination and an abnormally cloudy visual appearance. The samples contained sand, rust and small pieces of fuel tank sealant. In addition to the debris found in the two main fuel tanks, unidentified organic debris was found in the fuel sample collected at the fuel selector valve. The examination of the fuel injector filter assembly disclosed an abnormally high level of coarse debris contamination. The origin of the debris found in the fuel system was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.