Event LAX94LA284

Factual narrative

On July 13, 1994, at 0916 hours mountain standard time, a Mooney M-20J, N5668M, crashed into a residential area following a total loss of engine power about 1 mile northwest of the Tucson International Airport, Tucson, Arizona. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight to Tucson when the accident occurred. The airplane, registered to and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. A garage of a residence received minor damage. The certificated private pilot received minor injuries. A passenger received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Santa Fe County Municipal Airport, Santa Fe, New Mexico, about 0745 hours. The pilot reported that about 1/2 hour before arriving in the Tucson area, he noticed the engine's fuel pressure gauge fluctuating momentarily. It then remained stable until he was established on the final approach phase to runway 11L. The fuel pressure suddenly went to zero and the engine quit. The pilot declared an emergency and reported that he had lost fuel pressure and was not going to be able to reach the runway. The pilot performed the engine failure emergency procedures; however, the engine did not restart. The airplane descended into a residential area and the right wing struck a power pole. The airplane then came to rest against a garage area. No persons on the ground were injured. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector, Scottsdale Flight Standards District Office, examined the airplane at the accident scene and reported that the right wing fuel tank was ruptured during the impact sequence. Fire department personnel reported observing about 1 gallon of fuel spilled from the right wing. The left wing fuel tank contained about 15 gallons. On August 18, 1994, after the airplane was retrieved, an FAA airworthiness inspector conducted a test run of the engine. He reported that after priming, the engine started and ran without the auxiliary fuel boost pump at 1,200 to 1,300 rpm. It accelerated and decelerated without failure. The fuel pressure indicated 25 to 30 psi. The magnetos functioned properly. The inspector noticed that the engine quit running when the mixture control was leaned about 1/4 of its travel without any rpm rise prior to shutoff. Examination of the airplane's maintenance records revealed that the last airframe logbook entry appeared to be on April 19, 1994. At that time, the airplane had accrued 1,876.3 flight hours. An annual inspection of the airframe and engine was conducted on October 1, 1993, 23 flight hours before the last log entry. The engine had also accrued a total time in service of 1,876.3 hours of operation. The maintenance records note that a major overhaul was accomplished on October 27, 1992, 158.5 hours of operation before the last log entry. The maintenance records also indicated that the engine was disassembled and inspected on January 15, 1993, 136.3 hours before the last logbook entry for a propeller strike inspection. ABOUT 1/2 HOUR BEFORE ARRIVING IN THE DESTINATION AREA ON A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE PILOT NOTICED A MOMENTARY FLUCTUATION OF THE FUEL PRESSURE GAUGE, WHICH THEN STABILIZED. WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH FOR LANDING, THE FUEL PRESSURE WENT TO ZERO AND THE ENGINE QUIT. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES FAILED TO RESTART THE ENGINE. THE AIRPLANE DESENDED INTO A RESIDENTIAL AREA AND STRUCK A UTILITY POLE BEFORE COMING TO REST AGAINST A GARAGE. THE RIGHT WING FUEL TANK WAS RUPTURED AND CONTAINED ABOUT 1 GALLON OF FUEL WHEN FIRE PERSONNEL ARRIVED. THE LEFT WING CONTAINED ABOUT 15 GALLONS OF FUEL. AFTER RETRIEVAL, THE ENGINE STARTED AND RAN NORMALLY WITHOUT THE FUEL BOOST PUMP. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12