Mooney M20F accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, December 26, 1996
On December 26, 1996 at about 5:49 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N737JC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight fuel consumption calculations, and the excessive flow of the fuel injector servo, that combined to result in fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 26, 1996 · about 5:49 pm local time · cases in 1996
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N737JC · registry record · serial 670376
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Because the flight was taking longer than expected, the pilot elected to divert for fuel. While being vectored for an approach, the engine quit. During the ensuing forced landing, the airplane collided with trees and the ground. There was no evidence of a loss of fuel during the flight nor at the accident site, and the engine was operated following the accident. However, testing of the fuel injector servo revealed that its flow exceeded the maximum limit. The pilot stated he was using 11 gallons per hour for fuel usage planning. Using the power setting and altitude the pilot reported he used during the flight, the engine manufacturers operating manual indicated that the fuel usage would be between 11.3 and 13 gallons per hour (gph), depending on the mixture setting. Based on the elapsed time of the flight, the usable fuel supply in the airplane, and the excessive fuel servo flow, at 11.3 gph, about six gallons of fuel would have remained in the airplane. At 13 gph, more fuel than the usable capacity would have been needed. The fuel usage, therefore, exceeded the pilot's planned usage, discounting the servo's excessive flow rate.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,780 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1,687 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,552 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 12, 1996; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ECG Elizabeth City NC at 1:22 pm
- Destination: DAB
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from DAB, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N737JC on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mooney M-20 6,246 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mooney 5,395 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A 196 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Elizabeth City CG Air Station/Rgnl · departed from
- Daytona Beach International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 988 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,702 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL97LA028.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.