Mooney M20C accident near Oro Valley, Arizona, August 7, 2005
On August 7, 2005 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N6330Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oro Valley, Arizona (La Cholla Airpark 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
a loss of engine power due to the pilot's inaccurate fuel consumption calculations that resulted in fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the inaccuracy of the cockpit fuel gages which read 1/4 tank when empty.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2005 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Oro Valley, Arizona · La Cholla Airpark · 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
- N6330Q · no longer on the register · serial 670129
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While entering the arrival pattern at the destination the airplane exhausted its fuel and the pilot executed an emergency landing short of the runway. The pilot had been airborne for about 5 hours 10 minutes. She had been managing the fuel system by switching tanks about every hour. She made the final switch to the right tank 10 minutes prior to arriving at her destination airport. She overflew the destination airport and executed the prescribed entry. While in a left-hand turn to enter the downwind leg, and at 1,500 feet above ground level (agl), the engine began to run abnormally and then lost power. She diverted to the crosswind runway, and landed short of the runway threshold in desert vegetation. An examination of the airplane revealed that neither the left wing fuel tank or the right wing fuel tank contained fuel. The tanks were not compromised and there was no evidence of fuel leakage. In this unfueled condition both left and right cockpit fuel gages read 1/4. The airplane was fueled with 1 gallon avgas in the left tank. The engine was started and ran satisfactorily.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,845 hours in all; 225 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,653 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 917 hours in all; 642 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 706 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,744 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2004; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KDVO Novato CA at 2:35 pm
- Destination: 57AZ Oro Valley AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,850 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 102°F (39°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KBLH, 15 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.