Mooney M20J N52840

Summary

On 28 December 2019 at about 21:15 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N52840 was involved in an accident near Farmingdale, New York, 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

28 December 2019 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Farmingdale, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Republic (FRG)

Coordinates

40.7131, -73.4119

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N52840

Category

Airplane

Year built

1988

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Westhampton Beach → Farmingdale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20LA082

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper preflight inspection, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot conducted a preflight inspection of the airplane prior to the first flight of the day but did not visually check the fuel quantity in the fuel tanks. He reported the engine data monitor indicated there was 20 gallons of fuel on board the airplane prior to takeoff. He flew to another airport and on the return flight, while on final approach, the air traffic controller requested the pilot make S-turns because the airport was busy. While on short final, the engine lost total power. The pilot switched fuel tanks and was unsuccessful in his attempts to restart the engine before impacting terrain about 1/2 mile from the runway. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the right fuel tank remained intact; however, no fuel was present in the fuel tank. The left fuel tank was breached during the accident sequence, and no fuel was present in the tank. Multiple fuel lines were disconnected from the engine and residual fuel was present in the fuel manifold supply and the return lines from the fuel control to the fuel pump.  All other lines were absent of fuel, including the fuel supply line from the airframe to the fuel pump. Furthermore, the pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. It’s likely that the pilot’s improper preflight inspection and overreliance of the engine fuel monitor resulted in fuel exhaustion during final approach to landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.