Mooney M20E accident near West Creek, NJ
On September 30, 2002, a Mooney M20E (airplane) was involved in an accident near West Creek, NJ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 30, 2002
- Place
- West Creek, NJ
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.665°N, 74.308°W
- NTSB ID
- 20021004X05280
Official records · NYC02FA200
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 30, 2002, about 1535 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20E, N5556Q, was destroyed when it struck trees after takeoff from Eagles Nest Airport (31E), West Creek, New Jersey. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. Two witnesses were at the airport at the time of the accident. One witness was a helicopter pilot, and had landed at 31E prior to the accident. The helicopter pilot stated that he was standing outside the helicopter, conversing with a passenger. He observed the accident pilot walking around his airplane for several minutes, conducting a preflight inspection. However, the helicopter pilot did not pay much attention to the accident pilot, and could not recall if he sumped the fuel tanks during the inspection. The helicopter pilot then observed the accident airplane taxi to runway 14, and heard the pilot perform a "run-up." During the takeoff roll, the helicopter pilot heard the engine suddenly quit, and the sounds of impact. The helicopter pilot added that the engine did not run rough, it simply stopped running. The second witness stated that during the takeoff roll, she lost sight of the airplane as it passed behind trees. She did not see the airplane climb above the tree line, and believed it was still on the ground. The witness then heard a "sputter," followed by two "booms." Approximately 20 seconds later, she observed smoke rising from the trees. As they approached the wreckage, the witne
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection which failed to detect water-contaminated fuel, and his failure to maintain airspeed.
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Browse: New Jersey · Mooney aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
