On July 24, 1994, a Mooney M20C (registration N6842N) was involved in an aviation accident near Wallingford, CT. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the pilot's decision to exhaust the fuel supply in the selected tank in-flight, and his failure to maintain the minimum stall speed during engine out conditions. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
After a local flight, the pilot had only the left wing tank refueled. On a subsequent flight, the engine coughed and stopped; the airplane nosed into a field. Examination showed the fuel selector on left tank, with no other anomalies.
Accident Sequence
The pilot and passenger completed a 30 to 40 minute local flight in the pilot's airplane and returned to the airport. Upon landing, the pilot requested the airport refueler to add 10 gallons of fuel into the left wing tank only. The pilot informed the refueler that he was trying to dry out the right tank to perform maintenance on it.
Subsequently, the pilot and passenger departed for another flight. Several minutes after takeoff, witnesses observed the airplane inbound to the airport at a low altitude, flying over property owned by the pilot. The engine was heard to cough and then stop. The airplane then performed a left 180-degree turn and nosed into the ground, impacting in an open field also owned by the pilot.
Examination Findings
Post-impact examination revealed that the fuel tanks were ruptured on impact. The fuel selector valve was set to the left tank. No anomalies were noted in the engine or airframe. The engine was not equipped with a fuel primer system.