Accident Overview
On September 9, 2008, at approximately 1030 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20C, registration N21MY, operated by a private individual as a personal flight, collided with trees during takeoff from Henderson Field Airport (ACZ) in Wallace, North Carolina. The flight was destined for Norfolk International Airport (ORF) in Norfolk, Virginia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the commercial-certificated pilot, the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. The flight had originated about one minute earlier.
Pilot Account
The pilot reported that the fuel tanks were filled after landing the previous night, and the airplane was then secured. He installed the pitot tube cover but did not install the cabin cover or the engine cowling plugs. The next morning, he obtained a preflight weather briefing and preflighted the airplane using a checklist. After starting the engine, he taxied to runway 27 and performed an engine run-up, noting no discrepancies. He reviewed the before-takeoff checklist and applied power with no engine discrepancies noted. He rotated at 63 knots. When the flight reached about 100 feet above ground level (agl), he noticed a sudden loss of engine power. He confirmed all throttle controls were full forward and the auxiliary fuel pump was on. Unable to maintain altitude, he executed a forced landing into the tops of trees ahead and past the departure end of the runway. The airplane then descended and impacted the ground. He advised the FAA inspector-in-charge that before tree contact, he looked at the fuel pressure gauge and noted the reading was below the green arc.
Witness Account
According to the airport manager, who helped fill the fuel tanks the night before and witnessed the entire flight, the pilot taxied to the approach end of runway 27, but the manager did not hear an engine run-up before takeoff. He noticed the pilot had the first notch of flaps extended. During the takeoff roll, he perceived the engine was not developing full power, though it was running smoothly with no missing or sputtering. He advised the pilot on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) to apply full power, but the pilot did not respond. The airplane rotated short of midfield down the 3,850-foot-long runway and was slow to leave the runway. It remained in ground effect for most of the remaining runway and climbed no higher than 60–80 feet on runway heading. The witness did not see any smoke trailing the airplane during the flight.
Wreckage Examination
Examination of the accident site and wreckage by the FAA inspector-in-charge several hours after the accident revealed the airplane came to rest with the empennage approximately 30 degrees past vertical, and the engine and right wing contacting the ground. Although the inspector did not smell fuel at the scene, first responders reported smelling fuel. The fuel selector was positioned to the right tank, and the auxiliary fuel pump switch was found in the off position. No breach of either fuel tank was noted, but fuel had leaked from the right tank fuel vent. The landing gear was down and locked, and the mixture and propeller controls were full forward, while the throttle control was approximately three-quarters full forward.
During recovery of the airplane, green colored foam and red lanyard material were noted wedged against the engine baffling behind the propeller spinner bulkhead. No blockage of the air induction filter was noted. Following recovery, a replacement propeller was installed, and the engine was started and operated to full power as indicated by the tachometer using only the engine-driven fuel pump; no discrepancies were noted. Additionally, the electric fuel pump operated satisfactorily, providing fuel pressure within the normal operating range before starting the engine. After the engine run, red colored lanyard was noted on top of the cylinders. The lanyard material was consistent with material used as streamers for ram air inlet plugs. The recovered foam material was torn and ripped.
No reported discrepancies were noted from the pilots of airplanes fueled from the same source as the accident airplane.