Mooney M20F incident near Cadiz, Kentucky, November 24, 2005
On November 24, 2005 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N52DB, suffered minor damage in an incident near Cadiz, Kentucky (Lake Barkley State Park Apt. airport). 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
Fuel starvation, which resulted in a loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 2005 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cadiz, Kentucky · Lake Barkley State Park Apt. · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N52DB · registry record · serial 22-1399
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 1 hour and 15 minutes into the flight, the pilot was practicing touch and go landings, when on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the engine began to lose power. Following an unsuccessful attempt to restart the engine, the pilot ditched the airplane into a lake. After the airplane was recovered from the lake, the right fuel tank was found to contain a mixture of fluid consisting of about 1/2 fuel, and 1/2 water, and the left tank was completely filled with water. Examination of the fuel system revealed the presence of a silicone type sealant around the fuel tank bladder access panels and fragments of sealant loose inside the fuel tank bladder.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,300 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,306 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2005; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1M9 Cadiz KY
- Destination: 1M9
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from HOP, 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.
Other NTSB records under N52DB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.