Mooney M20J N301KC accident near Hackettstown, New Jersey

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to adhere to the airplane manufacturer's published preflight inspection procedures, enabling water to remain undetected in the fuel system, which resulted in a complete loss of engine power immediately after takeoff.

NTSB analysis

On the day of the accident, the pilot completed two uneventful positioning flight legs before refueling. The pilot added fuel to the right wing tank only, since the left tank was still full. In his subsequent preflight inspection, he drained some fuel from the gascolator, and obtained and examined a fuel sample from the right tank drain, without noting any anomalies. The pilot did not capture a sample when he drained the gascolator, since the gascolator drain was activated from the cockpit. The pilot’s procedure was contrary to the instructions in the pilot’s operating handbook, which stated to sample the fuel from the gascolator drain. Engine start, taxi, and engine run-up, all of which were conducted using the right tank, were normal. The takeoff roll and initial climb were normal, but when the airplane was approximately 25 feet above the runway, the engine "quit dead." The pilot performed an emergency landing in the grass alongside the runway, and the airplane was stopped by trees beyond the runway end. Postaccident fuel samples yielded several ounces of water each from the right tank, gascolator, and engine fuel line. No other anomalies were noted with the airplane or engine. No water or other contaminants were found in the airport fuel storage tank or dispensing system, and no problems were reported by the operators of any aircraft that were fueled from the airport storage tank on the same day as the accident airplane.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for NYC08LA311 for the full record.