Mooney M20E N9493V

Summary

On 5 December 2012 at about 18:00 local time, a Mooney M20E registered N9493V, operated by Roy Ricketts, was involved in an accident near Gurdon, Arkansas, United States. One person was 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

5 December 2012 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Gurdon, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

33.9239, -93.1681

Aircraft

Mooney M20E

Registration

N9493V

Category

Airplane

Year built

1970

Engines

1

Operator

Roy Ricketts

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pine Bluff → Gurdon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13LA095

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because no mechanical engine malfunctions were identified and because the actual fuel load and distribution at the time of the accident could not be determined.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, about 30 minutes into the cross-country flight, the airplane's engine experienced a partial loss of power. The pilot stated that the airplane had departed with 35 to 40 gallons of fuel onboard, and, therefore, that sufficient fuel was remaining when the engine lost partial power. The engine subsequently lost total power when the airplane was about 1,500 feet mean sea level, and the pilot did not have time to troubleshoot the problem before having to shift his focus to identifying a suitable landing area. He completed a forced landing on a nearby road, but, during the landing roll, the left wing contacted a bush, which caused the airplane to depart the roadway and descend into an adjacent ditch. A postaccident engine examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane's actual fuel load and distribution at the time of accident could not be determined because the airplane was recovered from the accident site before local or federal authorities were notified of the accident. Therefore, it could not be determined whether the airplane experienced fuel starvation/exhaustion during the accident flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.