Mooney M20J accident near Huber Heights, Ohio, December 27, 1994
On December 27, 1994, a Mooney M20J, registered N201JT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huber Heights, Ohio (James M. Cox Dayton 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
The pilot's inadequate inflight decision/planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power. A factor is the pilot's inadequate preflight planning.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 1994
- Place
- Huber Heights, Ohio · James M. Cox Dayton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N201JT · no longer on the register · serial 24-0031
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT PLANNED ON A 4 HOUR FLIGHT, AND MADE A DEPARTURE WITH LESS THAN FULL FUEL TANKS. AFTER 4 HRS 35 MIN, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION BY THE FAA REVEALED BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY AND THE MAIN FUEL STRAINER WAS EMPTY. THE PILOT HAD PREDICATED THE FLIGHT ON A FUEL BURN OF 9.6 GPH, AND 50 GALLONS ON BOARD AT DEPARTURE. THE FAA REPORTED THAT BASED UPON INTERVIEWS WITH THE PREVIOUS PILOT THE FUEL ON BOARD WAS MORE LIKE 44 GALLONS, WHICH AT 9.6 GPH WOULD EXHAUST THE FUEL SUPPLY AT 4 HRS 35 MINUTES.
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: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,430 hours in all; 201 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 2,328 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,980 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1994; 177 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Capital Flying Club INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ICT Wichita KS at 8:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:05 am from DAY, 4 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 N201JT 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.