Mooney M20B N33EM

Summary

On 2 August 2003 at about 13:40 local time, a Mooney M20B registered N33EM, operated by Ronald Shields, was involved in an accident near Leonardtown, Maryland, 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

2 August 2003 at 13:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Leonardtown, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Duke Regional Airport (2W6)

Coordinates

38.3153, -76.5500

Aircraft

Mooney M20B

Registration

N33EM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ronald Shields

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Leonardtown → Fredricksburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC03LA172

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to water contamination of the fuel. A factor was the fuel cap not being secured to the tank.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff, at about 150 feet agl, the airplane's engine surged and then lost complete power. The pilot initiated an immediate left turn and performed a forced landing to a field. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left wing fuel filler cap did not seat correctly into its fuel tank fitting. A sample of fuel from the left tank revealed "several ounces" of water. Samples of fuel taken from the carburetor bowl and engine driven fuel pump also contained water, and corrosion was noted on the pump. A review of recorded precipitation totals from an airport 7 miles east of where the airplane was based, for a period extending two weeks prior to the accident, revealed 2.3 inches of rain had fallen in the area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.