Mooney M20K N231HU
12 March 1999 · Counts, Virginia, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 12 March 1999 at about 17:15 local time, a Mooney M20K registered N231HU, operated by Raymond V. Onley, was involved in an accident near Counts, Virginia, 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 17:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Counts, Virginia, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.9800, -82.2892
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K
- Registration
- N231HU
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Raymond V. Onley
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Mooresville → Batavia
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC99FA071
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane was destroyed when it impacted mountainous terrain at a 55-degree descent angle. The pilot was returning from a business trip where he had attempted to sell the airplane. The sale was not completed based upon the results of a pre-sale inspection. The pilot was seen as visibly upset, and departed the airport for his home field. No flight plan was filed, and the pilot was never in contact with air traffic control facilities. Radar coverage revealed that, during the approximately 35-minute flight, the airplane climbed to, and maintained 8,700 feet until about 3 minutes prior to the accident. The airplane descended, then leveled off, then descended again, and impacted terrain around an elevation of 1,750 feet. The estimated rate of the final decent was initially 1,800 feet per minute, which increased to 6,400 feet per minute. In flight, the airplane's track over the ground had been about 325 degrees magnetic. However, the swath cut through the trees at the accident site was approximately 030 degrees magnetic. The private pilot received his certificate less than 4 months earlier.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20K accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Mar 1999 | Mooney M20K | Medicine Bow, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Dec 1999 | Mooney M20K | McAlester, Oklahoma, United States | John P. McDaniel | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 Jan 1999 | Mooney M20K | Delano, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Mar 1998 | Mooney M20K | Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 May 1998 | Mooney M20K | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 31 May 2000 | Mooney M20K | Grt Barrington, Massachusetts, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep 1999 | Piper PA-22-108 | Manassas, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jan 1999 | Piper PA-60-602P | Lynchburg, Virginia, United States | Herbert Frazier II | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Dec 1999 | Beechcraft BE-23 | Blacksburg, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Dec 1999 | Prudhomme VELOCITY RG 173 | Richmond, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Nov 1999 | Coughlin LONG-EZ | Remington, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 29 Dec 1999 | Beechcraft C-23 | Manassas, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |