Mooney M20G accident near Bowling Green, Ohio, August 24, 1994
On August 24, 1994 at about 8:18 pm local time, a Mooney M20G, registered N3916N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bowling Green, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel exhaustion for undetermined reason(s), which resulted in loss of engine power and a subsequent forced landing. A factor relating to the accident was: faulty fuel quantity gauge/system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 1994 · about 8:18 pm local time
- Place
- Bowling Green, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20G · all M20Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3916N · no longer on the register · serial 680061
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AS HE WAS CRUISING AT 6500 FEET WITH A POWER SETTING OF 2400 RPM AND 22 INCHES OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE. DURING A SUBSEQUENT FORCED LANDING ON A ROAD, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A SIGN, DITCH, AND TREE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING THE FLIGHT, HE USED THE RIGHT FUEL TANK FOR THE FIRST HOUR AND THEN THE LEFT TANK FOR TWO HOURS, BEFORE HE SWITCHED BACK TO THE RIGHT TANK. HE STATED THAT WHEN HE SWITCHED BACK TO THE RIGHT TANK, THE FUEL GAGES INDICATED 36 AND 108 LBS, RESPECTIVELY, IN THE LEFT AND RIGHT TANKS. ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE ENGINE WAS RESTARTED, BUT ABOUT 3 MINUTES LATER, A POWER LOSS OCCURRED AGAIN, THEN THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY AND THAT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF LEAKAGE. TACHOMETER INFORMATION SHOWED THE ENGINE HAD BEEN OPERATED 4.1 HOURS. BASED ON FULL FUEL TANKS AND THE PILOT'S REPORTED CRUISE ALTITUDE/POWER SETTING, THE AIRPLANE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FLY FOR A TOTAL OF ABOUT 5.4 HOURS.
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: commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,131 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,855 as pilot in command; 729 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,197 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1994; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFQ Suffolk VA at 4:30 pm
- Destination: TOL Toledo OH
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:26 pm from TOL, 14 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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.