Mooney M20E accident near Marked Tree, Arkansas, July 21, 2012
On July 21, 2012 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N1310W, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Marked Tree, Arkansas (Marked Tree Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power during cruise flight due to a malfunction of the fuel injection servo due to a damaged O-ring.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2012 · about 1:30 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Marked Tree, Arkansas · Marked Tree Municipal · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N1310W · registry record · serial 198
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that about 5 minutes after reaching cruise altitude, the engine started to run rough with an accompanying partial loss of power. He noted that the engine exhaust temperatures had dropped but that other engine indications were normal. The pilot elected to divert to an intermediate airport; however, the engine continued to lose power, and the pilot was unable to maintain a proper glide path to the runway. The pilot was concerned about an inadvertent aerodynamic stall, so he made a forced landing to the bean field short of the runway. Postaccident bench testing of the engine fuel injection servo revealed variations in fuel flow that were not consistent with normal servo operation. Further examination of the fuel servo revealed that the mixture control valve O-ring was damaged and that a fragment of the O-ring was located on the surface of the mixture control valve plate. This likely interfered with fuel flow through the servo and reduced the available engine power. The fuel servo was overhauled about 1 year before the accident and had accumulated about 113 hours in service since the overhaul.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel controlling system › Malfunction other cases naming the engine
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Malfunction other cases naming the engine
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,148 hours in all; 1,900 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,040 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 6, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,138 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 12, 2012; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AWM West Memphis AR at 1:04 pm
- Destination: UUV Sullivan MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 3,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from AWM, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on December 31, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Airframe Logbook -- Excerpts | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Engine Logbook -- Excerpts | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Airplane Examination Summary | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Component Examination Summary -- Fuel Servo | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Conversation Record -- Airplane Recovery Crew | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo 1 -- Fuel Servo Valve Assembly | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Photo 2 -- O-ring Fragment | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1310W on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mooney M-20 6,245 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mooney 5,394 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A 196 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Marked Tree Municipal · nearest airport
- West Memphis Municipal · departed from
- Sullivan Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Arkansas 1,582 since 1982 · 177 in the last ten years
- Arkansas 3,491 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN12FA463.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.