Mooney M20E N79373
22 October 1988 · Longview, Texas, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 22 October 1988 at about 15:08 local time, a Mooney M20E registered N79373, operated by Birdwell, Robert, was involved in an accident near Longview, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 15:08
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Longview, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.5093, -94.8202
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E
- Registration
- N79373
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Birdwell, Robert
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- St Augustine → Gilmer
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW89FA006
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
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 AIRPLANE WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT WHEN THE PILOT TRANSMITTED THAT HE HAD SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. 53 SECONDS LATER CONTACT WAS LOST. THE NOSE AND LEFT WING WERE SLIGHTLY DOWN WHEN THE ACFT STRUCK TREES AND TERRAIN AT HIGH SPEED. FIRE STARTED SEVERAL MINUTES AFTER IMPACT. INVESTIGATION INDICATED THERE HAD BEEN HEAVY SMOKE AND POSSIBLE SHORT DURATION FLASH FIRE OF UNDETERMINED ORIGIN. ONE GROUP OF WIRES WAS FOUND WITH BURNED INSULATION AND WITH ONE WIRE ELECTRICALLY MELTED IN TWO.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20E accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jul 1988 | Mooney M20E | Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Feb 1988 | Mooney M20E | Miles City, Montana, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Aug 1988 | Mooney M20E | Visalia, California, United States | Stanford, William L. | No injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 1988 | Mooney M20E | Walsh, Colorado, United States | Doyle, A.c. | Fatal | 3 |
| 16 Apr 1988 | Mooney M20E | The Dalles, Oregon, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Feb 1988 | Mooney M20E | Liberty, North Carolina, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Jan 1988 | Aero Commander 100-180 | Mineola Quitman, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 1988 | Piper PA-28-235 | Littlefield, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jan 1988 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10 | Dfw Airport, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Jan 1988 | Beechcraft V35B | Temple, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jan 1988 | Bellanca 17-30A | Borger, Texas, United States | J & W Operating Co. | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 Jan 1988 | Cessna 152 | Tomball, Texas, United States | Merri Worth Aviation | Minor injuries | - |