On February 3, 1990, a Mooney M-20K-231 (registration N1173E) was involved in an aviation accident near Winter Haven, FL. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to visually confirm the fuel quantity on the airplane during preflight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and subsequent engine failure. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A private pilot failed to visually confirm fuel levels before takeoff, resulting in engine failure due to fuel exhaustion one hour and fifteen minutes later. The subsequent forced landing caused substantial damage to the aircraft.
What happened
The incident began when a private pilot initiated preflight checks without visually confirming the actual fuel quantity on board the airplane. Relying on an estimate, the pilot believed there were approximately 17 gallons of fuel available prior to departure. The flight proceeded normally for one hour and fifteen minutes after takeoff until the engine suddenly failed due to fuel exhaustion.
The investigation
Post-incident examination revealed that the aircraft had struck trees during the forced landing attempt. This impact resulted in substantial damage to the airframe, confirming the severity of the emergency landing scenario caused by the lack of available fuel.
Findings
The primary factor leading to this event was the pilot's failure to visually verify the fuel quantity during preflight. The engine failure was directly attributed to fuel exhaustion. The aircraft sustained substantial damage as a result of striking trees during the forced landing.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to visually confirm the fuel quantity on the airplane during preflight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and subsequent engine failure.