Mooney M20J N201TH

Summary

On 22 November 1983 at about 01:14 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N201TH was involved in an accident near El Paso, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

22 November 1983 at 01:14

Classification

Accident

Location

El Paso, Texas, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N201TH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greenville → Elpaso

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

FTW84FA068

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND AT 4380 FT MSL. THE PLT HAD CALLED THE CONTROL TOWER IN EL PASO AND ADVISED THAT HE WAS AT 8500 FT AND WOULD HAVE TO START DESCENDING DUE TO WEATHER IN THE AREA. THE PLT WAS VFR AND NO FLT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. HE WAS ADVISED OF GROUND ELEVATIONS IN THE AREA OF 4500 FT AND ADVISED TO REMAIN VFR. ABOUT 4 MINUTES LATER RADIOAND RADAR CONTACT WERE LOST AND A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED 3 HOURS LATER. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED THAT THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AT ABOUT A 25-30 DEGREE NOSE DOWN AND RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE WHILETRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. IT BOUNCED AND TRAVELED ABOUT 100 YARDS BEFORE 2ND IMPACT WHERE IT ROLLED INVERTED. ALTHOUGH THE PLT HAD ABOUT 1300 HOURS TOTAL FLYING TIME HE HAD ONLY FLOWN 7 HOURS IN THE LAST 9 YEARS. THE ACCIDENT ACFTHAD JUST BEEN BOUGHT BY THE 59 YEAR OLD PLT. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS OF ANY MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES PRIOR TO IMPACT. LOCAL RESIDENTS REPORTED LIGHT RAIN & SNOW FLURRIES IN THE AREA.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.