N30EVMooney Aircraft M20K · 1982

On August 13, 2022, about 1231 central daylight time, a Mooney M20K airplane, N30EV, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Hannah City, Illinois. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The flight departed Santa Fe Municipal Airport (SAF), Santa Fe, New Mexico, about 0639 mountain daylight time, destined for Peoria International Airport (PIA), Peoria, Illinois. A fuel receipt from Jet Center at SAF indicated that 54.2 gallons of fuel was purchased for the accident airplane on August 10, 2022. A review of ADS-B data revealed that, following the fuel purchase, the airplane departed SAF and flew one time around the traffic pattern on a flight that lasted about 4 minutes. No additional fuel receipts were located that indicate the airplane was refueled following the flight on August 10th and no subsequent flights were made until the accident flight.

A review of ADS-B data revealed that after departure, the airplane climbed to an altitude of 15,000 ft and remained at that altitude for the almost 5-hour flight. The data showed the flight as continuous with no stops. When the airplane was about 28 miles west of PIA, the pilot established communications with the PIA air traffic control tower and reported inbound with the current weather information. The controller advised the pilot to enter a right downwind for runway 22. When the airplane was about 10 miles west of PIA, the pilot informed the controller that the engine lost all power. When queried if they would be able to reach PIA, the pilot stated that they would be unable. The last recorded data point showed the airplane traveling west about 675 ft msl and lined up with a road.

Surveillance video footage captured the airplane about one block east of the last data point. In the video, the landing gear was extended, and the propeller appeared to be windmilling. As the airplane descended it struck powerlines. A second video taken from inside a vehicle showed the airplane immediately after the powerline contact. The airplane continued the descent and touched down on the roadway. After touch down, the left wing impacted a bridge railing and then a road sign. The airplane continued eastbound, and the left wing then impacted a power pole, which separated the left wing about 6’9” outboard of the wing root. The rest of the airplane continued until it impacted a building, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage.

The pilot was issued a Third Class Medical Certificate with the following limitation: “Must wear lenses for distant, have glasses for near vision,” which expired for all classes in 2018. He subsequently, applied for BasicMed and completed the BasicMed course on June 3, 2020, and the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist was dated January 6, 2020. The BasicMed course was valid for two years and no subsequent course completion was submitted to the FAA.

A High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model sounding was created for the accident time and location, with the modeled surface elevation at 2,890 ft msl. At an elevation of 15,278 ft msl, the HRRR sounding indicated the wind was from 288° at 11.1 knots.

A postaccident examination revealed that the left-wing fuel tank was breached during the impact and absent of fuel. The right-wing fuel tank remained intact, and when opened only a small amount of fuel was present inside the tank. The fuel selector was positioned on the “RIGHT TANK.” The fuel strainer contained about 3 oz of fuel and the fuel line into the fuel flow divider was absent of fuel. The fuel flow divider was disassembled and no blockages were observed within the divider or fuel lines that would have prevented fuel from reaching the cylinders.

A detailed examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The airplane was equipped with a Shadin Avionics MiniFlo digital fuel management system, which was designed to provide fuel management information under real time flight conditions to the flight crew. The unit was connected to the engine fuel flow transducers and did not interface with the airplane’s fuel quantity indicating system. The unit required the pilot to enter the initial fuel on board the airplane and all calculations and data provided by the unit were based on fuel flow and any provided navigational information. When power was applied to the unit, it displayed the gallons used as 64.9 gallons and the gallons remaining as 10.1 gallons. The unit did not retain data indicating the last time the system was reset to full fuel.

According to ADS-B data, when the airplane was abeam Garden City, Kansas, the ground speed was about 177 knots and the airplane was on a ground track of about 060°. When the wind data was applied to the track information, the tailwind component was about 7 knots, which would result in an airspeed of about 170 knots.

According to the pilot’s operating handbook (POH), an altitude of 15,000 ft and at an airspeed of about 170 knots equated to about a 70% engine power setting; engine fuel consumption at 70% power can range from 10.2 gph to 12.5 gph. Fueling records indicated that the pilot added 54 gallons of 100LL the last time fuel was added. The total fuel capacity of the accident airplane was 78.6 gallons, of which 75.6 gallons were usable. The exact fuel quantity onboard when the airplane departed SAF and the cruise power setting could not be determined.

According to the POH, the airplane would have been expected to consume between 5.41 and 7.58 gallons of fuel during climb. Using 54 gallons as a minimum fuel on board at the time of departure and accounting for climb fuel consumption, the endurance would be between 3.7 hrs and 4.7 hrs, depending on the engine power setting selected by the pilot for the cruise portion of the flight. If the fuel tanks were full before departure, the endurance would have been between 5.4 hrs and 6.8 hrs.

A recovered Garmin 396 GPS contained an aircraft profile page that listed the accident airplane and a corresponding fuel flow of 12.5 gallons per hour.

Toxicology testing performed by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected the inactive metabolite of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH), in the pilot’s heart blood at 2.2 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) and in urine at 18.9 ng/mL. THC’s short-lived psychoactive metabolite, 11-hydroxy-delta-9-THC (11-OH-THC), was detected in his urine at 3.4 ng/mL, but not in his blood. The non-impairing high blood pressure medication chlorthalidone was detected in his heart blood and urine. Quinine was also detected in his heart blood and urine; quinine is a non-impairing medication used in the treatment of malaria and leg cramps and as an additive in tonic water.