Event FTW00LA194

Factual narrative

On June 27, 2000, at 2030 central daylight time, a Mooney M20R airplane, N22166, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during an aborted takeoff from the Talihina Municipal Airport near Talihina, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot, who was the owner and sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The cross-country flight was originating from the Talihina Municipal Airport at the time of the accident, and was destined for Tulsa, Oklahoma. During a telephone interview conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot stated that he took off from runway 01 and was 3/4 of the way down the length of the runway when the engine started to "cough." The pilot reported that the engine would not produce enough power to sustain flight. He attempted to land the airplane on the remaining length of runway; however, the airplane overran the runway and impacted a ditch and bushes in a marsh area. The airplane came to rest upright with the nose landing gear collapsed and the right wing tip bent up. The leading edge of the left wing displayed a few dents and the right outboard wing received structural damage to the outboard ribs and the aileron. The pilot reported that he took delivery of the 2000-model airplane a few weeks before the accident. He added that a few days after acquiring the airplane, the engine lost power while taxiing. The pilot stated that a mechanic discussed the problem with the aircraft manufacturer, removed the engine driven fuel pump (serial number J069918B), and replaced it with a new one (serial number C210014B) on June 9, 2000. The pilot stated that the engine "coughed and sounded the same the day of the accident as it did before the fuel pump was replaced." On July 19, 2000, representatives from the engine and airframe manufacturers test ran the Teledyne Continental IO-550-G engine at the accident site after replacing the propeller. Present for the examination were the pilot, the engine and aircraft manufacturer representatives, and a certificated aircraft mechanic. According to both representatives, the engine was started and run for 15 minutes at various power settings. A magneto check at 1,800 RPM revealed that the left magneto had a 50-RPM drop and the right magneto had a 65-RPM drop. The maximum takeoff power fuel flow indicated 23.1 gallons/hour. No anomalies were noted during the test run. The original fuel pump, S/N J069918B, was sent to the manufacturer for testing on October 19, 2000, and was found to have an air leak, which allowed "air [to] be sucked into the inlet causing vapor and the possibility of cavitating the pump outlet." The airplane was then taken to the Mooney Aircraft Corporation manufacturing facility in Kerrville, Texas, for repairs. In the interim, the engine was sent to Mattituck Aviation in Mattituck, New York, for overhaul. During the overhaul, Mattituck mechanics sent the engine driven fuel pump, S/N C210024B, to the engine manufacturer's facility for a flow test. On November 22, 2000, the fuel pump was inspected, leak tested, and flow tested. The only anomaly noted was the fuel pump calibration, which resulted in a higher discharge pressure than specified by the manufacturer. The engine manufacturer representative stated that the fuel pumps are adjusted on the aircraft and "the pump flow...could have been re-adjusted to meet production specifications." He added that it was a "normal" flow test result. The fuel pump was shipped to Mattituck and the engine was reassembled and shipped to Mooney's facility for placement on N22166. The airplane, with the original engine installed, was re-delivered to the owner. Upon re-delivery, it was noted that the autopilot trim system malfunctioned. The owner requested that a mechanic test the system. The mechanic stated that while he was taxiing to the runway to test the autopilot system, the engine lost power. He added that the only way the engine would maintain power while on the ground was with the electric boost pump on. The mechanic returned the airplane to the hangar and removed the engine driven fuel pump. The mechanic sent the engine driven fuel pump, S/N C210024B, to the NTSB IIC, and the NTSB IIC took the fuel pump to the manufacturer's facility for testing on March 20, 2001. The fuel pump was inspected, leak tested, and flow tested. No anomalies were noted except the calibration, which resulted in similar discharge pressures as the previous flow test. According to the pilot, the mechanic received a third engine driven fuel pump from the aircraft manufacturer and installed it on the airplane. The mechanic informed the pilot that he had to readjust the fuel injector settings. According to the pilot, there have been no anomalies with the engine since the third fuel pump replacement and fuel injector adjustment. During takeoff, the engine started to 'cough' and would not produce enough power to maintain flight. The pilot landed the single-engine airplane on the remaining runway; however, the airplane overran the runway and impacted a ditch and bushes. The pilot reported that a similar engine event occurred a few weeks prior to the accident, and as a result, a mechanic replaced the engine driven fuel pump. An engine test run was conducted after the accident with the second fuel pump installed. No anomalies were noted during the test run. Both the first and second fuel pumps were inspected, leak checked, and flow tested at the engine manufacturer's facility. The first fuel pump did contain an air leak; however, the second fuel pump, which was installed on the engine at the time of the accident, did not display any anomalies that would have prevented its operation on the airplane. The second fuel pump was reinstalled on the engine, and the engine was reinstalled on the airplane. After redelivery of the airplane, the engine lost power during taxi operations. The mechanic removed and replaced the second fuel pump with a third pump and adjusted the fuel injector settings. The second engine driven fuel pump was tested a second time with similar results as the first test. No anomalies have occurred with the engine since the fuel injector adjustment. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12