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A flight instructor and private pilot reported a loss of engine power after takeoff in a M20; resulting in an off-field landing. Reportedly the fuel selector was inadvertently placed in position for the tank with minimal fuel.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1353082 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201605 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | M-20 Series Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Initial Climb |
| Route In Use | None |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Engine |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Trainee |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Private |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 45 Flight Crew Total 238 Flight Crew Type 3 |
| Person 2 | |
| Function | Pilot Not Flying Instructor |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Flight Instructor |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 247 Flight Crew Total 780 Flight Crew Type 5 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue |
Narrative:
Myself and my instructor departed on a training flight in mooney M20; complex airplane single engine land for training flight. There were two souls on board including instructor. After conducting a thorough preflight; we estimated the right fuel tank to be full of fuel and the left tank to be low on fuel which we visually checked against the fuel gauges. Before starting the engine we set the fuel selector valve to the right tank which was full. The taxi; run up and the first traffic pattern went on to be normal. Upon taking off for the next traffic pattern we lifted off the runway and retracted the landing gear once we attained positive rate of climb. Upon reaching 2900 MSL and before we turned crosswind the engine began to lose RPM and started to splutter and choke; it ran normal the next second and began making the same noise again. Immediately my instructor took over the controls and immediately turned back to the airfield. As soon [as] we turned the engine quit completely; as we were approximately 400 feet AGL and we couldn't make it to the runway; my instructor obtained best glide speed; selected roadway adjacent to the airport; proceeded to land. We were unable to do the emergency checklist as we didn't have much time to do so. I sat back and remained calm and was monitoring the airspeed throughout the emergency landing. My instructor landed the aircraft safely. We didn't have any visible damage to the aircraft except for a small crack on the leading edge of the right wing. Upon immediate initial investigation it was found that left fuel tank was empty and caused the engine to quit due to fuel starvation. We figured out that the fuel selector valve was set to left tank. The fuel selector was set improperly due to the confusion in the orientation of the selector knob among both the instructor and the pilot {myself} on board. My instructor then familiarized me how to set the fuel selector valve.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A flight instructor and private pilot reported a loss of engine power after takeoff in a M20; resulting in an off-field landing. Reportedly the fuel selector was inadvertently placed in position for the tank with minimal fuel.
Narrative: Myself and my instructor departed on a training flight in Mooney M20; complex airplane single engine land for training flight. There were two souls on board including instructor. After conducting a thorough preflight; we estimated the right fuel tank to be full of fuel and the left tank to be low on fuel which we visually checked against the fuel gauges. Before starting the engine we set the fuel selector valve to the right tank which was full. The taxi; run up and the first traffic pattern went on to be normal. Upon taking off for the next traffic pattern we lifted off the runway and retracted the landing gear once we attained positive rate of climb. Upon reaching 2900 MSL and before we turned crosswind the engine began to lose RPM and started to splutter and choke; it ran normal the next second and began making the same noise again. Immediately my instructor took over the controls and immediately turned back to the airfield. As soon [as] we turned the engine quit completely; as we were approximately 400 Feet AGL and we couldn't make it to the runway; my instructor obtained best glide speed; selected roadway adjacent to the airport; proceeded to land. We were unable to do the emergency checklist as we didn't have much time to do so. I sat back and remained calm and was monitoring the airspeed throughout the emergency landing. My instructor landed the aircraft safely. We didn't have any visible damage to the aircraft except for a small crack on the leading edge of the right wing. Upon immediate initial investigation it was found that left fuel tank was empty and caused the engine to quit due to fuel starvation. We figured out that the fuel selector valve was set to left tank. The fuel selector was set improperly due to the confusion in the orientation of the selector knob among both the instructor and the pilot {myself} on board. My instructor then familiarized me how to set the fuel selector valve.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.