Mooney M20B N74724

Summary

On 17 October 1993 at about 16:30 local time, a Mooney M20B registered N74724, operated by Quearry, Carlos G., was involved in an accident near Bethpage, Tennessee, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 October 1993 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Bethpage, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

36.4996, -86.2997

Aircraft

Mooney M20B

Registration

N74724

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Quearry, Carlos G.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Indianapolis → Rome

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL94FA006

2 people died.

THE PILOT'S VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL. FACTORS WERE THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO USE A PREFLIGHT BRIEFING SERVICE, AND THE LOW CEILINGS AND FOG AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PRIVATE, NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT WAS ON A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. IT WAS REPORTED THAT LOW CEILINGS AND FOG COVERED THE CRASH SITE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. BASED ON WITNESS REPORTS, THE AIRCRAFT FLEW OVERHEAD AT LOW ALTITUDE, THEN RETURNED A SHORT TIME LATER. THE ENGINE SOUND WAS INDICATIVE OF HIGH RPM, FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY THE SOUND OF A CRASH. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND IN A PASTURE WHICH WAS BORDERED BY TREES. IMPACT DAMAGE WAS INDICATIVE OF A STEEP (APPROXIMATELY 56 DEGREES), NOSE LOW COLLISION WITH TREES AND TERRAIN. NO EVIDENCE OF A MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND DURING THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION. A SEARCH OF FLIGHT SERVICE STATION RECORDS REVEALED THAT THE PILOT DID NOT RECEIVE A WEATHER BRIEFING PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.