Mooney M20C accident near Longmont, Colorado, July 22, 2000
On July 22, 2000 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N6253U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Longmont, Colorado (Vance Brand Municipal airport). 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 improper fuel tank selector position resulting in fuel starvation and the ditch impacted during the landing roll. A contributing factor was the pilot's failure to follow published procedures and directives.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2000 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Longmont, Colorado · Vance Brand Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · all M20Cs on the register
- Registration
- N6253U · no longer on the register · serial 2092
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After 45 minutes of flight, while conducting touch-and-go landings on a local area personal flight, a total loss of power occurred during climb following a touch-and-go landing. The student pilot attempted to turn back and land the aircraft in the opposite direction on the runway he had departed. He was unable to make it to the runway and landed in a field where the aircraft struck a ditch during landing roll causing substantial damage. The pilot stated the engine quit due to fuel starvation, and investigation verified that the fuel tank selected contained no usable fuel. The aircraft fuel capacity was 75.6 usable gallons and the flight departed with an estimated 25 gallons on board. Review of the pilot's operating handbook for the airplane provided information that the pilot's handbook gave specific preflight and procedural guidance to pilots to verify fuel on board prior to departure and to ensure that critical regimes of flight (landing and takeoff) were conducted on the fullest tank. The student pilot had 65 hours total flight time and 61 hours in the accident aircraft make and model.
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: student
- Flight time: 65 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 30 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,358 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 28, 2000; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO at 1:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 4,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from BJC, 30 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.
Other NTSB records under N6253U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.