Mooney M20C accident near Bountiful, Utah, August 10, 1997
On August 10, 1997 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N9666M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bountiful, Utah (Bountiful Skypark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate fuel management which resulted in fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 1997 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bountiful, Utah · Bountiful Skypark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · all M20Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9666M · no longer on the register · serial 670002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while on the downwind leg, the engine lost power, quit, then restarted. The pilot tried unsuccessfully to switch fuel tanks, and when the airplane turned onto the base leg, the engine quit again. The pilot stated that he could not make the runway and turned toward an open field. Just prior to touchdown, the engine regained power, and the pilot turned back toward the runway. The engine quit again and the airplane struck an empty tanker truck which severed the right wing from the fuselage. Postcrash investigation revealed that there was no evidence of a fuel spill or fuel smell around the right wing. There was no fuel in the fuel line to the carburetor and the carburetor fuel bowl contained less than one tablespoon of fuel. The left wing contained approximately 15 gallons of fuel in the fuel tank. After the wreckage was retrieved, the engine was prepared for an engine run. Fuel was supplied via the left wing. The fuel pump was activated and the engine was started. The engine ran smoothly for three minutes before it was shut down. Both fuel and oil pressure gages were indicating in the normal range.
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: 600 hours in all; 25 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,160 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 6, 1997; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PIC Pocatello ID at 7:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,700 ft by 70 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from SLC, 5 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.