Mooney M20J N201LF

Summary

On 4 March 1987 at about 23:56 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N201LF was involved in an accident near Weed, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

4 March 1987 at 23:56

Classification

Accident

Location

Weed, California, United States

Coordinates

41.5107, -122.3599

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N201LF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Everett → Palo Alto

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX87FA134

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

BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE PLT WAS ADZD THAT STRONG HEAD WINDS, MOD TO SVR TURBC, MTN OBSCUREMENT, MULTIPLE LAYERS OF ICING & DETERIORATING WX WERE FORECAST ALONG HIS ROUTE OF FLT. HE FILED AN IFR CLNC & TOOK OFF AT 1115 PST. WHILE EN ROUTE, HE REQD THE MEDFORD WX & WAS ADZD OF STANDING LENTICULAR CLOUDS. AT 1328 PST, HE CANCELED HIS IFR CLNC. LATER, AT 1535, HE OBTAINED ANOTHER IFR CLNC & WAS ASSIGNED AN ALT OF 11,000'. AT 1546 PST, THE PLT RPRTD HE WAS ENCTRG DOWNDRAFTS; 8 MIN LATER, HE SAID HIS ALT WAS 9300'. SHORTLY, THEREAFTER, RADAR & RADIO CTC WERE LOST AFTER THE ACFT DSCNDD THRU 8900'. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED ON THE LEE SIDE OF A 9025' MTN AT APRX THE 6200' LVL. IT WAS FOUND IN A NEAR VERTICAL NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE WITH ITS BELLY AGAINST AN IMPACT DAMAGED TREE. THE AFT FUSELAGE WAS BENT & TWISTED ABOUT 90 DEG, BUT THE EMPENNAGE WAS ESSENTIALLY UNDAMAGED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS EVIDENT. APRX 7 MI NORTH AT WEED ARPT (ELEV 2938'), THE WIND GUSTS WERE ESTD AT 70 TO 75 MPH.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.