Mooney M20F N9624M

Summary

On 2 May 1991 at about 19:33 local time, a Mooney M20F registered N9624M, operated by James I./Michele G. Johnson, was involved in an accident near Quincy, California, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 May 1991 at 19:33

Classification

Accident

Location

Quincy, California, United States

Coordinates

39.9596, -121.0007

Aircraft

Mooney M20F

Registration

N9624M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

James I./Michele G. Johnson

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Klamath Falls → Modesto

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX91FA190

4 people died.

THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT FLIGHT INTO IMC AND THEREAFTER HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF HIS AIRPLANE. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT RELATED TO THE PILOT'S IMPROPER WEATHER EVALUATION WHICH RESULTED IN HIS DELAYED EMERGENCY PROCEDURE, DISORIENTATION AFTER ENTERING CLOUDS AND RAIN, AND TO HIS LACK OF RECENT FLYING EXPERIENCE AND EXPERIENCE IN THE MODEL OF AIRPLANE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT PLANNED A NONSTOP FLT FM WA TO CA, & HE RECD PREFLT WEATHER BRIEFINGS SHOWING GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS. ENROUTE, THE PLT AMENDED HIS ROUTE & LANDED AT KLAMATH FALLS, OR. DURING ROLLOUT THE ACFT NEARLY VEERED OFF THE SIDE OF THE RWY. THE PLT TOLD ATC HE NEEDED A REST STOP & HE HAD HAD A FLAP PROBLEM. WITNESSES REPORTED THE PLT LOOKED "NERVOUS, UNDECIDED & BEWILDERED." THE PLT CONTINUED HIS S-BND CIRCLING ROUTE OF FLT WHICH PLACED TEH ACFT OVER THE WESTERN SLOPES OF THE SIERRA NEVADA MTNS AT ELE OVER 7000 FT MSL. 40 MI WEST LAY THE CENTRAL VALLEY OF CA, ELE 300 FT MSL. WHILE CRUISING AT 13,000 FT THE PLT REVERSED COURSE & DISAPPEARED FM RADAR. THE ACFT CRASHED INVERTED INTO 4900 FT MSL TERRAIN, ABT 1.5 FM ITS LAST RADAR POSITION. WITNESSES REPORTED IT WAS RAINING HEAVILY & LIGHTNING WAS VISIBLE. THE PLT HAD NOT LOGGED ANY INST FLT TIME IN 19 YRS. HIS TOTAL TIME WAS 88 HRS. HIS TOTAL PIC TIME IN THE ACFT (WHICH HE HAD PURCHASED 3 WKS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT) WAS 0.5 HRS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.