ERA25LA273

The pilot's mismanagement of the available fuel, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.

During the landing flare, the airplane floated down the runway without touching down. The pilot felt uncomfortable attempting to land on the remaining runway, so he executed a go-around by adding full power and setting the flaps for climb. About 50 ft above the runway the engine stopped producing power. The airplane was too low for the pilot to fully troubleshoot, so he switched fuel tanks, but that did not restore power. The airplane descended into the runway overrun area and impacted brush and muddy terrain before coming to rest upright. The resulting impact resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The fuel tanks remained intact. Postaccident engine examination and an engine test run detected no anomalies of the fuel injected engine. The fuel tanks were then drained revealing about 2.5 gallons of fuel in the left tank and 13 gallons in the right tank. Each tank held 3 gallons of unusable fuel. The pilot reported that he should have had at least 17 gallons of fuel remaining in the tanks at the time of the accident, based on his estimate of the airplane’s fuel consumption and the airplane’s most recent fueling that occurred 8 days before the accident. This estimate was roughly consistent with the total quantity of about 16 gallons that were found during the postaccident examination. Based on the distribution of fuel found in the tanks after the accident, the pilot was likely operating on the left fuel tank and, during the go around, the engine was starved of fuel, which resulted in the loss of engine power. When the pilot switched tanks, the airplane was at too low an altitude to successfully restore power before it impacted the terrain.

On June 9, 2025, about 0600 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20R airplane, N9166Z, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near New Port Richey, Florida. The commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. About 40 days after the accident occurred, the pilot reported that he departed Inverness Airport (INF), Inverness, Florida, and flew for about 15 minutes to Hidden Lake Airport (FA40), New Port Richey, Florida, where he intended to land. During the landing flare to runway 5, which was 4,425 ft long, the airplane floated; the pilot reported that he was uncomfortable trying to land on the remaining runway, so he executed a go-around by adding full power and setting the flaps for a climb. During the maneuver, about 50 ft above the runway, the engine stopped producing power. There was no hesitation or “engine cough” that preceded the loss of power, and the pilot did not observe low fuel warning lights. The airplane was too low for the pilot to fully troubleshoot, so he switched fuel tanks, but that did not restore power and the airplane began to descend. The airplane descended into the runway overrun area and impacted brush and muddy terrain before coming to rest upright. Postaccident examination confirmed substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The right wing sustained damage to the wing spar, and there were multiple buckles and dents throughout the fuselage. According to the pilot, he should have had at least 17 gallons remaining in the fuel tanks at the time of the accident, based on his estimation of the airplane’s fuel consumption and the most recent fueling on June 1, 2025. A subsequent examination and engine test run was performed. The fuel-injected engine was operated with no anomalies observed. Fuel was subsequently drained from the fuel tanks. No contamination or water was observed in the fuel. The total amount of fuel drained from the left wing tank was about 2.5 gallons. The right wing tank contained about 13 gallons of fuel. The unusable amount of fuel per side was 3 gallons according to the Airplane Operating Manual.