Mooney M20E accident near Placerville, California, June 8, 2002
On June 8, 2002 at about 1:12 am local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N1285X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Placerville, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision which led to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2002 · about 1:12 am local time
- Place
- Placerville, California · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N1285X · no longer on the register · serial 158
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 6 miles from the pilot's home airport, all engine power was lost. The airplane impacted trees during its approach to a landing. A witness reported observing the airplane glide in very quietly with its propeller barely turning "as if only from the wind." The witness indicated that the airplane "skipped off the ground once, as if trying to land, and then lifted back into the air again." Thereafter, the airplane came back down and crashed into a grove of trees. The accident site was about 6 miles from the pilot's destination airport. No evidence of fuel spillage was noted on the ground around the crashed airplane. Between 10 and 15 drops of fuel were found in fuel lines. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions was observed during the engine examination.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,100 hours in all; 5,100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O57 Bridgeport CA
- Destination: PVF Placerville CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.68 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 am from MHR, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.