Mooney M20J N302FW
11 June 1992 · Bloomington, Illinois, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 11 June 1992 at about 18:42 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N302FW, operated by Berner, Louis A. JR., was involved in an accident near Bloomington, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:42
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Bloomington, Illinois, United States
- Nearest airport
- Bloomington (BMI)
- Coordinates
- 40.4703, -88.9692
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J
- Registration
- N302FW
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Berner, Louis A. JR.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI92FA169
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL DURING THE TURN FROM BASE LEG TO FINAL APPROACH.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE 69 YEAR OLD PILOT RETURNED TO THE HOME BASE AIRPORT AFTER A BUSINESS TRIP AND ENTERED A RIGHT HAND TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 3. WITNESSES DESCRIBED A VERY TIGHT, CLOSE-IN TRAFFIC PATTERN, AND STATED THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE WAS LOWER THAN THE NORMAL TRAFFIC PATTERN (ESTIMATED 400 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND). THEY STATED THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE WAS '...TILTING SLIGHTLY UPWARDS...' AND THEN THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A STEEP ('KNIFE-EDGE') LEFT TURN AND DESCENDED TO THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TERRAIN IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA SOUTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT. POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR PILOT INCAPACITATION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20J accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jan 1992 | Mooney M20J | Austin, Texas, United States | Kissock, Darryl C. | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Nov 1992 | Mooney M20J | Santa Ana, California, United States | The Flying Club | No injuries | - |
| 14 Oct 1992 | Mooney M20J | Mexia, Texas, United States | Abilene Aero Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Jan 1992 | Mooney M20J | Bullhead City, Arizona, United States | Juan Alas | No injuries | - |
| 1 May 1993 | Mooney M20J | Sedona, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 8 Aug 1993 | Mooney M20J | Celle-Arloh, Germany | - | Fatal | 3 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1992 | Cessna 177 | Manlius, Illinois, United States | Grand Lake Air Inc. | Fatal | 4 |
| 20 Sep 1992 | Cessna 152 | Ottawa, Illinois, United States | Legends, R.e. & J.k. Brown | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Sep 1992 | Beechcraft B55 | Joliet, Illinois, United States | J. F. Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 1992 | Cessna 150L | Elwood, Illinois, United States | Thomas F and Robert H Bentley | Fatal | 2 |
| 3 Mar 1992 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | United Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 28 Aug 1992 | Douglas DC-8-61 | Morton Grove, Illinois, United States | Airborne Express Inc. | No injuries | - |