Mooney M20C N78870

Summary

On 10 November 2018 at about 20:30 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N78870 was involved in an accident near Wildwood, New Jersey, United States. One person was 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.

Date

10 November 2018 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Wildwood, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Cape May County (WWD)

Coordinates

39.0078, -74.9142

Aircraft

Mooney M20C

Registration

N78870

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wildwood → Whiteville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19TA042

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation during the initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to initiate a 180° turn following the loss of power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane contained 21 gallons of fuel in the left fuel tank and 3 gallons of fuel in the right fuel tank before the flight. The pilot performed the engine start, taxi, runup, and takeoff with the fuel selector on the right fuel tank. During the initial climb, at an altitude between 100 and 200 ft above ground level, the engine sputtered and then lost all power. With about 1,700 ft of runway remaining, the pilot entered a right turn, and the airplane impacted the ground left of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing, the left horizontal stabilizer, and left elevator. Postaccident examination of the airplane found that the right fuel tank contained no fuel, and the left fuel tank contained about 20 gallons. The fuel selector was found in the left tank position. It is likely that, during the accident sequence, the pilot moved the fuel selector to the left tank position; but the airplane’s low altitude at the time of the loss of power provided insufficient time to restore fuel flow before impact. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot’s mismanagement of the available fuel. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to initiate a 180° turn following the loss of power despite the runway remaining.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.