Mooney M-20E accident near Punta Gorda, Florida, July 26, 1988
On July 26, 1988 at about 11:05 pm local time, a Mooney M-20E, registered N9369M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Punta Gorda, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 1988 · about 11:05 pm local time
- Place
- Punta Gorda, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M-20E · all M-20Es on the register
- Registration
- N9369M · registry record · serial 1301
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED HE KEPT HIS ACFT OUTDOORS & HE HAD NOT FLOWN IT FOR 7 DAYS. HE STATED HE HAD NOT REFUELED THE ACFT AFTER THE LAST FLT & HAD PARKED IT WITH 1/2 TANKS. FSS PERSONNEL STATED THERE HAD BEEN RAIN SHOWERS IN THE AREA DURING THAT TIME. THE PLT STATED THAT DURING PRE-FLT INSP, SUMPS WERE DRAINED & NO FOREIGN MATTER WAS FOUND. FLT DEPARTED FOR PUNTA GORDA WHERE ACFT WAS TOPPED OFF BY FUEL TRUCK. PRE-FLT INSP REVEALED PRESENCE OF WATER IN RIGHT SUMP DRAIN. THE SUMPS WERE DRAINED AGAIN UNTIL THE PLT FELT ALL WATER HAD BEEN REMOVED. AFTER DEPARTURE AT 800 FT, THE ENG QUIT & A FORCED LDG WAS MADE IN AN ORANGE GROVE. EXAM OF TRUCK REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF CONTAMINANTS. SOME WATER WAS FOUND IN THE ACFT'S RIGHT FUEL SUMP. PLT STATED HE ONLY HAD USED FUEL FROM THE LEFT TANK. DURING A POST ACCIDENT EXAM OF THE FUEL SYS WATER AND DIRT WERE FOUND IN THE IDLE CUTOFF VALVE AND THE DIAPHRAGM. THE DIAPHRAGM HAD CONGEALED OIL ON IT ALSO.
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
- Flight time: 172 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 133 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,825 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 1988; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PGD
- Destination: XO-6 Arcadia FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from FMY, 23 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.