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CEN24LA030

2023-10-30 · Lamar, Colorado, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N1167J

Make / Model
MOONEY M20K
Engine
CONT MOTOR TSIO-360 SER (225 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19821210
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A045D3

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inadequate fuel planning and improper in-flight decision making, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that about 4 hours and 15 minutes after departure, the engine lost all power. The pilot was successful in restoring engine power by switching fuel tanks and turning on the auxiliary fuel pump. However, the engine lost all power again about 5 miles from the destination runway. The pilot conducted a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane struck a fence resulting in substantial damage to both wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks contained no usable fuel. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Fence/fence post-Contributed to outcome
  • — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring equip/instruments-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_CEN24LA030.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion). All research papers