Mooney M20K N231GG

Summary

On 3 January 2024 at about 18:26 local time, a Mooney M20K registered N231GG was involved in an accident near Tullahoma, Tennessee, 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

3 January 2024 at 18:26

Classification

Accident

Location

Tullahoma, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Tullahoma Regional Airport (THA)

Coordinates

35.3801, -86.2468

Aircraft

Mooney M20K

Registration

N231GG

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Sewanee

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA082

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff, during a cruise climb about 2,000 ft above ground level, the engine suddenly lost all power without any warning. The pilot attempted to glide the airplane back to the departure airport and restart the engine; however, the engine did not restart and the airplane impacted hilly terrain about 1/2-mile before reaching the runway. The engine’s most recent overhaul was about 30 years before the accident, and it accrued about 692 hours during that time. Additionally, the airplane had not been flown for more than 2 years before the accident flight. The pilot did not purchase fuel and the age of the fuel in the airplane could not be determined. During wreckage recovery, about 16 gallons of fuel (8 gallons per side) were drained from the airplane’s fuel tanks. The fuel was blue, clear, and consistent with 100LL aviation gasoline. No visible contamination was observed. Subsequent examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies, with the exception of an inoperative right magneto; however, that did not explain a total loss of engine power without any engine roughness.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.