Mooney M20J N4120H
8 February 1998 · Davis, West Virginia, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 8 February 1998 at about 21:15 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N4120H was involved in an accident near Davis, West Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously 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 21:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Davis, West Virginia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Windwood Fly-In Airport (WV62)
- Coordinates
- 39.1304, -79.4601
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J
- Registration
- N4120H
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Harrisburg
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- IAD98LA026
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
A loss of power due to blockage of the fuel screen and one of the four fuel injector nozzles. A contributing factor was snow covered terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During takeoff and approximately 100 feet AGL, the engine began to run rough and lost power. The airplane touched down on a snow covered field, nosed over and came to rest inverted. The engine was tested and the fuel flow was found to fluctuate. The fuel injector servo system was tested and the following discrepancies were found: the safety wire attached to the plug utilized to adjust the diaphragms inside the fuel servo was missing its lead seal. One of the four fuel injector nozzles was blocked. Individual injector nozzles were tested. Debris blocked the flow in one nozzle, and the remainder of the fuel nozzles had an acceptable fuel stream. A representative from Aircraft Fuel Specialists, Ltd.. who conducted the testing, stated that the adjustment to the diaphragms would not cause the loss of power as described to him. He stated that the 'blockage of the inlet screen, which was completely plugged, and the one blocked nozzle were more a factor' in the loss of power.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20J accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Oct 1998 | Mooney M20J | Orlando, Florida, United States | Flight, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 26 May 1998 | Mooney M20J | Lincoln, Nebraska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1998 | Mooney M20J | Centennial, Wyoming, United States | Charles E. Woodson | Fatal | 1 |
| 20 Apr 1998 | Mooney M20J | Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States | Charles T Gunzburg | Fatal | 1 |
| 4 Nov 1998 | Mooney M20J | Cahokia, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Feb 1998 | Mooney M20J | Avoca, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Jul 1998 | Beechcraft BE24 | Beckley, West Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Oct 1998 | Cessna 150M | Wiley Ford, West Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Feb 1998 | Beechcraft C-90 | Newton, West Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 Apr 1998 | Piper PA-30 | McMechen, West Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 May 1998 | Beechcraft A36 | Davis, West Virginia, United States | Howard L. Kidman | Fatal | 4 |
| 20 Jul 1998 | Cessna 152 | Philippi, West Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |