NTSB Factual Report

On December 5, 2012, about 1200 central standard time, a Mooney model M20E airplane, N9493V, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during a forced landing near Gurdon, Arkansas. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that departed from Austin Grider Field Airport (PBF), Pine Bluff, Arkansas, about 1130, and was en route to Gurdon Lowe Field Airport (5M8), Gurdon, Arkansas.

The pilot reported that the accident occurred during a repositioning flight after the airplane had undergone avionics maintenance. The pilot stated that about 30 minutes into the flight the airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power, consistent with a lack of available fuel. The pilot stated that the airplane had departed with 35-40 gallons of fuel on-board, and as such, there was still sufficient fuel remaining when the engine lost power. He stated that the airplane was "fairly low" to the ground (about 1,500 feet mean sea level) when a total loss of engine power occurred, and he did not have sufficient time to troubleshoot the lack of engine power before having to focus on identifying a suitable landing area. He noted that he did not turn on the electric fuel pump during his brief attempt to restart the engine. He completed a forced landing on a nearby road, but during the landing roll the left wing contacted a bush located alongside the road, which caused the airplane to depart the roadway and descend into an adjacent ditch. The fuselage and wings were damaged during the accident sequence. Following the accident, without notifying local or federal authorities of the accident, the pilot recovered the airplane wreckage to his company's location in Gurdon, Arkansas.

An engine examination was completed by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, with the assistance of an aviation mechanic, after the airplane wreckage had been recovered. The engine, a Lycoming model IO-360-A1A, serial number RL-19935-51A, had accumulated 423 hours since it was last overhauled on October 31, 2002. The engine produced suction/compression at each cylinder in conjunction with crankshaft rotation. Additionally, engine valve train and accessory drive continuity was confirmed with crankshaft rotation. The mechanical fuel pump and shower-of-sparks ignition system operated as designed while the engine was rotated using the electric starter motor. The fuel screens were free of any particulate contamination. The postaccident engine examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The airplane's actual fuel load and distribution at the time of accident could not be determined because the airplane was recovered from the accident site before local or federal authorities were notified of the accident.

NTSB Probable Cause

The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because no mechanical engine malfunctions were identified and because the actual fuel load and distribution at the time of the accident could not be determined.