ERA10LA047
NTSB Identification: ERA10LA047
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, November 03, 2009 in Fairview, NC
Aircraft: MOONEY M20C, registration: N6869U
Injuries: 2 Serious.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On November 3, 2009, at 1720 eastern standard time, a Mooney 20C, collided with a tree during while making a forced landing following loss of engine power in Fairview, North Carolina. The airplane incurred substantial damage and the pilot and passenger received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed. The airplane was registered to and operated by an individual as a personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The pilot stated that he and his passenger were about 50 minutes into their IFR flight from the Smith Reynolds Airport, Winston Salem, North Carolina to Asheville Regional Airport (AVL), Asheville, North Carolina, when the engine “power rolled back” and the propeller continued to windmill. The airplane was at an altitude of 8,000 feet msl at that time. The pilot turned on the electric fuel pump and switched fuel tanks; however, the engine never regained power. The pilot advised the air traffic controller of the situation. He set up the airplane for best glide configuration. The pilot elected to land in an open corn field, which was separated into two sections by trees. The airplane’s right wing impacted a tree, at an altitude of 50 feet above the ground. The airplane swung around and impacted the ground nose first before coming to rest inverted. The pilot and passenger were extricated from the wreckage by rescue personnel and taken to the hospital. The accident site was about 9 miles east of AVL.

The first responders reported to the Federal Aviation Administration Inspector on scene that there was no visual indication or odor of fuel at the accident site. The wreckage recovery crew reported no fuel was observed during the recovery process. The pilot stated the airplane was topped off on October 17, 2009. The airplane can hold a total of 52 gallons, of which 4 of those are unusable. Since the refueling he has flown a total of four flights; one for 1.5 hours, another at 1 hour, another local flight of about 40 minutes, and the 50 minute accident flight. During his preflight inspection he visually checked the fuel levels in each tank; observing the right wing was about at ¼ of a tank and the left wing was at about ½ tank. The engine had accumulated about 120 hours since overhauled and the pilot believed that the fuel consumption was about 9 gallons of fuel per hour.

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