Pilot Debrief

MOONEY M20 near Little Rock, AR — 2016-05-13

Final reportCEN16LA200
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Date
2016-05-13
Location
Little Rock, AR, USA
Airport
KORK
Aircraft
MOONEY M20
Registration
N6371Q
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

A loss of engine power due to water contamination of the fuel.

NTSB narrative

The private-rated pilot was taking off in the airplane when the airplane's engine began to sputter and lose power. He elected to reduce engine power and land on the remaining runway; however, he had already retracted the landing gear. The pilot lowered the landing gear handle, but was not able to lock the gear into place before the airplane impacted the runway and the nose gear collapsed. Postaccident examination of the airplane found water in the left and right wing fuel tanks, as well as the engine's carburetor. It is likely that the loss of engine power was a result of the water contamination of the fuel system.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel quality before takeoff to prevent engine sputtering.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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