At 16:00 CDT, a Mooney M20J made a forced landing and was damaged following a partial loss of engine power near Mount Pleasant. The two aboard were not injured. The pilot told investigators that he smelled a strong odor of fuel and the fuel pressure dropped to almost zero while he was cruising at 10,500 feet. The pilot diverted toward the Mount Pleasant Municipal Airport with the engine operating at idle. While on final approach to runway 7, he applied throttle to adjust the aircrafts rate of descent but it had no effect. He landed in an open field about -mile short of the runway and nosed over. The pilot said that after exiting the aircraft, he observed fuel leaking from the right fuel tank. Investigators found the fuel tanks empty and noted that the airplanes cabin had the odor of fuel.
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