Mooney M20E N5632Q

Summary

On 26 April 2024 at about 16:00 local time, a Mooney M20E registered N5632Q was involved in an accident near Hornell, New York, 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

26 April 2024 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Hornell, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Hornell Muni (HTF)

Coordinates

42.3821, -77.6821

Aircraft

Mooney M20E

Registration

N5632Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hornell → Canandaigua

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA194

Nobody was injured.

A cabin fire as a result of a damaged lithium-ion battery pack.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot intended to depart his home airport for another airport to perform an owner-assisted annual inspection. While loading the airplane with supplies, the pilot placed a portable ADS-B receiver on the top of his airplane. The ADS-B receiver utilized a commercially available portable lithium-ion battery pack for power, and the battery was attached to the receiver via a hook and loop fastening. The receiver and battery pack fell from the top of the airplane onto the ramp which resulted in damage to the receiver and battery pack. The pilot attempted to power up the receiver but noted that the receiver was no longer working; he then placed the receiver and battery pack behind the front seats and underneath an airplane cover. The pilot subsequently taxied and began his runup of the engine, during which the pilot noted smoke coming from behind the front seats. The pilot lifted the airplane cover and saw that a fire had started. The pilot exited the airplane and unsuccessfully attempted to remove the airplane cover, which was on fire. The fire eventually consumed most of the cockpit area (including the battery pack itself) and substantially damaged both wings. Based on this information, it is likely that the portable lithium-ion battery pack sustained damage to at least one of the battery cells when it was dropped onto the ramp, resulting in thermal runaway of the battery pack and subsequent fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.