Mooney M20J accident near Lake Placid, Florida, January 17, 2002
On January 17, 2002 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N201XL, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Placid, Florida (Vince'S Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to perform a proper preflight inspection and his improper fuel tank selection for takeoff, resulting in a loss of engine power on takeoff due to fuel starvation, and the pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the aircraft resulting in an uncontrollable descent and collision with orange trees and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 17, 2002 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Placid, Florida · Vince'S Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N201XL · no longer on the register · serial 24-0497
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed VFR and just as the aircraft became airborne, the engine lost power. The pilot lost directional control, and crashed into an adjacent orange grove off the left side of the runway abeam a point about 3/4 way down the 3,000 foot runway. The aircraft received substantial damage and the pilot sustained minor injuries. Postcrash examination of the aircraft revealed the right wing contained no fuel and was the fuel source selected on the fuel selector. The left wing was nearly full. A postcrash examination of the engine's fuel injection distribution block revealed no fuel. Postcrash engine run revealed a fully operational engine. The pilot performed a visual check of fuel aboard the evening prior to his early morning departure, and noted 26 gallons of fuel in the right wing tank and 32 gallons of fuel in the left wing tank. He did not perform a visual check of fuel as part of his preflight walk around inspection the morning of the accident.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 4,500 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 1, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 16, 2001; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,885 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B60 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FA60 Lake Placid FL at 12:00 pm
- Destination: MGM Montgomery AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 270, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; scat at 100 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from FMY, 47 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.