MooneyM20E

The unregistered aircraft was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain at an unknown time. The private pilot was fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The accident pilot was last observed flying the single-seat gyrocopter at about 1350 on the day of the accident. The wreckage was subsequently located the following day about 0915, about 750 feet east of the departure airports Runway 26 threshold. The private pilot held a rating for single-engine land-based airplanes.

The pilot departed on a 1+50 cross-country flight with approximately 30 gallons of fuel in each wing tank (approximately 27 gallons usable fuel per side). The flight was uneventful until he started a descent from 8000 feet msl to 3000 feet, when the engine made “two pops” and “quit.” The pilot said there was no engine roughness, “It just stopped.” He made several attempts to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful. The pilot declared an emergency and landed in a field. Upon landing, the nose gear dug into the dirt and separated from the airplane.

The airplane was destroyed when it impacted terrain at an unknown time. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. Instrument conditions prevailed at the time of departure; a flight plan had not been filed. The airplane took off from a nearby airport at 1203 Central time.

The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain at about 1320 Mountain time, shortly after takeoff. The private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged and a post-impact fire ensued. Visual conditions prevailed for the flight.

The airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during a forced landing at about 1200 Central time. The solo private pilot was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot later stated he was flying fairly low when the loss of engine power occurred and was unable to troubleshoot the problem before having to identify a suitable landing area. He landed on a gravel road and one of the airplane’s wings contacted a bush, causing the airplane to depart the roadway and descend into an adjacent ditch. The fuselage and wings were damaged during the accident sequence.

The airplane was destroyed shortly after takeoff at 0905 Pacific time when it impacted terrain about 300 feet from the departure end of the runway. The pilot/owner and mechanic passenger were killed. Visual conditions prevailed for the post-maintenance test flight. Witnesses reported hearing the engine sputter and observed smoke emanating from the cowling on the takeoff/initial climbout. Witnesses then observed the airplane make a left turn, enter a spin and impact the ground. After the airplane impacted the ground it burst into flames. The flight was the first for the airplane following installation of an overhauled engine.

The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1500 Eastern time during a forced landing following a loss of engine power during initial climb. The Flight Instructor and Commercial pilot aboard were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. While at 3500 feet, a simulated engine failure was performed. The simulation ended with a recovery at 700 feet. As the airplane climbed past 1700 feet, the engine lost power then failed. Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, and the CFI performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplanes left wing struck a tree stump. Initial examination did not reveal any pre-impact malfunctions.

At approximately 1130 Mountain time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain and a fence following a loss of control while performing touch and go maneuvers at Jeffco Airport, Broomfield, Colo The Private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot later stated he was performing touch-and-go landings to Runway 29L. On the approach, the pilot configured and stabilized the airplane for landing and all seemed to be in order. After crossing the runway threshold, the pilot felt the speed and sink rate were too fast. The airplane touched down and bounced twice. At that point, the pilot added power to abort the landing. The air…

At about 1535 eastern time, a Mooney M20E struck trees after takeoff from Eagles Nest Airport, killing the pilot. Two witnesses said they heard the engine sputter and noticed the airplane was not climbing normally. The wreckage was found 176 feet west of the runway centerline and about 2,000 feet beyond the approach end of runway 14. There was no debris path and only one tree in the vicinity of the wreckage exhibited impact damage, implying a near-vertical descent. Post crash testing found traces of water in the fuel servo and fuel manifold, however investigators said that was inconclusive because the engine sat overnight before the fuel system was inspected….

At about 17:30 EDT, a Mooney M20E was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a road near Brooksville. The pilot survived the landing without apparent injury, but collapsed and died shortly thereafter. The flight was en route from Moundsville, W.Va., to Louisville, Ky., as one of a two-airplane flight. The pilot of the other plane said the accident pilot had just purchased the Mooney. He conducted a preflight, and took 12 to 15 samples of fuel from the left tank before it was free of water. Initially, the fuel samples were pink in color. The pilot had difficulty in removing the left wing-tank fuel cap, which appeared to be of a different type than right wing-tank fuel cap. No water…