NTSB: Plane lost power before fatal crash.
A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says that a plane lost power before crashing into a residential area in the Town of Milton.
The report was issued Nov. 8 and reveals several details about the aircraft history, prior maintenance, flight plan and crash. It doesn’t list the cause of the accident or potential impact of wind that was present in the area.
The crash killed pilot Frederick Baber and seriously injured Alexander Hoff, a flight instructor from New Hampshire. At the time of the accident, they were flying to Punta Gorda Florida, where Baber lived.
Hoff told the NTSB that the plane only made it to 200 feet above ground before rapidly losing power. After losing power, Hoff took control of the aircraft from Baber and tried to return to the airport. While making the turn, he realized he was too low and made a left turn to avoid a house before crashing into a tree, according to the NTSB report.
This wasn’t the first time the plane had lost power. Hoff told investigators that a month prior to the accident, Baber was flying the plane on a test flight when the engine lost power, but he was successfully able to recover and land back at the airport. According to Hoff, the fuel had been contaminated with algae and debris. It was later repaired by a local mechanic.
The NTSB said that six gallons of fuel was recovered from the right wing fuel tank with no water or debris in the tank but the left tank was destroyed by a post impact fire. No blockages or debris were found in the fuel or exhaust systems.
The same fire consumed portions of the engine, instrument panel and cockpit. According to the NTSB, no useful information could be obtained from the remaining instruments.
Baber and Hoff met the night before the flight, according to the report. Baber was required by insurance to have flight instructor with him on the flight to Florida due to inexperience the make and model of aircraft. Prior to the flight, both performed a pre-flight inspection and sampled the fuel multiple times with no issues found.
As for the model of aircraft, the Mooney M20E, a review of NTSB data found that the plane has been involved in 528 accidents since it entered service in 1964, of those 118 have been fatal. These accidents have resulted in 245 deaths, 72 serious injuries and 126 minor injuries. In 1966, the NTSB released a recommendation regarding the landing gear of the airframe which the manufacturer accepted.