Mooney M20 N1374W

Summary

On 18 March 2026 at about 21:38 local time, a Mooney M20 registered N1374W was involved in an accident near Northlake, Texas, 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

18 March 2026 at 21:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Northlake, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Aero Valley (52F)

Coordinates

33.0591, -97.2308

Aircraft

Mooney M20

Registration

N1374W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Northlake → Springtown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN26LA144

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s inadequate fuel management which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane departed from the airport for the short local area flight. Shortly after the pilot configured the airplane for cruise flight, the engine sustained a total loss of power. The pilot activated the electric boost pump, and he reached down to touch the fuel selector, located on the left side cockpit floor. He thought that the fuel selector was set to the right-wing fuel tank. Unable to restart the engine, the pilot elected to land at the departure airport. Due to the pilot prematurely extending the main landing gear, he performed a forced landing to a grass field located to the north of the departure airport. The right wing impacted trees, and the airplane came to rest upright on the grass field. Postaccident examination found the left-wing fuel tank was empty, the right-wing fuel tank had minimal fuel, and the fuel selector was found set to the left-wing fuel tank. There were no signs of fuel leakage at the accident site. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and to both wings. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane flight manual preflight checks state “check fuel” and the airplane flight manual starting checks state “fuel valve on (right or left main).” The pilot admitted that he made an error, and he felt that, like most other general aviation accidents, it should never have happened.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.