Mooney M20C N9666M
10 August 1997 · Bountiful, Utah, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 10 August 1997 at about 20:00 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N9666M was involved in an accident near Bountiful, Utah, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 20:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Bountiful, Utah, United States
- Nearest airport
- Bountiful Skypark (BTF)
- Coordinates
- 40.8800, -111.8201
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C
- Registration
- N9666M
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Pocatello → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA97LA184
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate fuel management which resulted in fuel starvation.
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 the downwind leg, the engine lost power, quit, then restarted. The pilot tried unsuccessfully to switch fuel tanks, and when the airplane turned onto the base leg, the engine quit again. The pilot stated that he could not make the runway and turned toward an open field. Just prior to touchdown, the engine regained power, and the pilot turned back toward the runway. The engine quit again and the airplane struck an empty tanker truck which severed the right wing from the fuselage. Postcrash investigation revealed that there was no evidence of a fuel spill or fuel smell around the right wing. There was no fuel in the fuel line to the carburetor and the carburetor fuel bowl contained less than one tablespoon of fuel. The left wing contained approximately 15 gallons of fuel in the fuel tank. After the wreckage was retrieved, the engine was prepared for an engine run. Fuel was supplied via the left wing. The fuel pump was activated and the engine was started. The engine ran smoothly for three minutes before it was shut down. Both fuel and oil pressure gages were indicating in the normal range.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20C accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jul 1997 | Mooney M20C | Sarepta, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 24 Jun 1997 | Mooney M20C | Bellwood, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Oct 1997 | Mooney M20C | Hendersonville, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 1997 | Mooney M20C | Pettigrew, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Oct 1997 | Mooney M20C | St Charles, Missouri, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Nov 1997 | Mooney M20C | Sparta, Tennessee, United States | John W. McDonald | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Mar 1997 | Beechcraft 200 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 May 1997 | Cessna T210M | Bullfrog, Utah, United States | Sweitzer, Robert, S. | Fatal | 4 |
| 10 May 1997 | Cessna 182 | Clinton, Utah, United States | Keith E. McArthur | Fatal | 3 |
| 24 Sep 1997 | Boeing 737-200RS | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | Frontier Airlines, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1997 | Schweizer SGS 1-34 | Heber City, Utah, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Sep 1997 | Hughes 369HS | Morgan, Utah, United States | - | No injuries | - |