Mooney M20J N201AV

Summary

On 3 January 1987 at about 19:20 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N201AV was involved in an accident near Gladewater, 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

3 January 1987 at 19:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Gladewater, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Gladewater Municipal (O7F)

Coordinates

32.5409, -94.9409

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N201AV

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gladewater → Houston

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW87FA043

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 PILOT DEPARTED INTO LOW OVERCAST CLOUDS (ABOUT 200 FOOT CEILING) WITH ONE TO TWO MILES VISIBILITY IN LIGHT RAIN AND FOG. HE DID NOT FILE A FLIGHT PLAN ALTHOUGH HE WAS INSTRUMENT RATED. HIS CURRENCY FOR FLIGHT IN INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS ARE UNKNOWN. IMMEDIATELY AFTER ENTERING THE CLOUDS THE PILOT INITIATED A CLIMBING LEFT TURN OF ABOUT 150-160 DEGREES. ABOUT A MINUTE LATER THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED 1.5 MILES SOUTH OF THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. IMPACT OCCURRED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE OF 60-75 DEGREES AND AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE CLIMBING LEFT TURN IMMEDIATELY AFTER ENTERING THE CLOUDS WOULD HAVE BEEN CONDUCIVE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.