Mooney M20K accident near Ocala, FL
On April 9, 2016, a Mooney M20K (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ocala, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 9, 2016
- Place
- Ocala, FL
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 29.174°N, 82.224°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160409X95427
Official records · ERA16FA150
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 9, 2016, about 0850 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20K, N96398, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a total loss of engine power after takeoff from Ocala International Airport (OCF), Ocala, Florida. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the passenger was seriously injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which had an intended destination of Lakeland Regional Airport, Lakeland, Florida. Information from the OCF air traffic control tower revealed that the airplane was cleared for takeoff and began its takeoff roll from runway 36 with about 7,000 ft of runway available. About 1 minute after the airplane was cleared for takeoff, the pilot announced, "I'm losing my engine… I'm going down on [runway] 26." Runway 26 was located at the end of and perpendicular to the takeoff runway. The OCF ground controller (GC) was receiving a clearance by telephone when he overheard the pilot's radio call. He estimated that the airplane was north of the tower about 200 to 300 ft above the runway before it turned west. According to the GC, "The wings rocked a little in the turn, but when he lined up with the runway [26] he looked clean. He still looked high, like he might touchdown past midfield and go off the departure end. He looked stable, but then he turned left. The more he turned the steeper the turn got, and then when the wingtip hit the ground the airplane was 90 degrees." The
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed following a loss of engine power, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadvertent placement of the fuel selector in the "Off" position before takeoff, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.
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Browse: Florida · 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.
