Mooney M20C accident near High Springs, Florida, November 18, 2001
On November 18, 2001 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N6753U, was substantially damaged in an accident near High Springs, Florida. 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 preflight planning/preparation and failure to ensure sufficient fuel was available to complete the flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, a forced landing, and damage to the aircraft when it collided with a fence during the landing rollout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 2001 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- High Springs, Florida · 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
- N6753U · no longer on the register · serial 2475
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that the aircraft was in cruise flight at an altitude of 7,000 feet, when all of a sudden the engine ceased operating. He further stated that he then engaged the fuel boost pump, and switched to the left fuel tank, and engine power was restored, but about 10 seconds after power had been restored, the engine ceased operating again. He said he again switched tanks, but the engine failed to operate a second time, and he ended up making a forced landing to a field. The pilot later stated to the NTSB that the reason the engine ceased operating was due to fuel exhaustion. According to the pilot, his wife, a passenger on the flight, had ordered fuel at Shelby County Airport in Alabaster, Alabama, prior to them departing on the flight, but the fuel had not been provided. In addition, an employee at the Shelby County Airport stated that fuel had been ordered for N6753U, but the linesman had forgotten the order, and that no fuel had been placed in the accident aircraft's fuel tanks, as was requested. An FAA Inspector who conducted a postaccident examination of the aircraft, said that during his investigation of the accident aircraft, he found no breaches to fuel system, and that all aircraft fuel tanks were "bone dry."
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
Co-pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 465 hours in all; 354 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 404 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 11, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,487 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 23, 2001; 121 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Textron Lyc. O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EET Alabaster AL at 3:40 pm
- Destination: GNV Gainesville FL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 7 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from GNV, 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.
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.