Mooney M20M N2135X
10 January 2000 · Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 10 January 2000 at about 00:00 local time, a Mooney M20M registered N2135X was involved in an accident near Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, 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 00:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.8194, -79.8603
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20M
- Registration
- N2135X
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Myrtle Beach → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- MIA00FA066
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed (VSO) while maneuv ering on a night instrument approach in instrument conditions. This resulted in an inadvertent in-flight loss of control (stall/spin), and subsequent in-flight collision with a swamp. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's impairment due to marihuana.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was cleared for a night instrument approach in instrument conditions. A witness who was waiting for the pilot at the airport heard the airplane fly over the airport flying towards a residential area, but could not see the airplane due to fog. Witnesses in the residential area observed the airplane descend out of the fog, pull up about 40-degrees, and reenter the fog in a steep left bank with slow airspeed. The airplane was observed descending out of the fog in a 70-degree left bank. An increase in engine power was heard, the airplane disappeared from view and was heard to impact water and a marshy area. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine assembly and accessories revealed no evidence of a precrash mechanical failure or malfunction. Toxicology results revealed the pilot was impaired due to drugs.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20M accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jan 2000 | Mooney M20M | Montpelier, Vermont, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 2000 | Mooney M20M | Grunwald, Austria | Aircraft Guaranty LLC Trustee | Fatal | 2 |
| 27 Nov 2001 | Mooney M20M | Evansville, Indiana, United States | Grant Scott | Fatal | 2 |
| 10 Jul 2001 | Mooney M20M | Manhay, Belgium | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 Aug 2002 | Mooney M20M | Gualala, California, United States | Michel P. Lemaire | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 1997 | Mooney M20M | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Apr 2000 | Piper PA-31-350 | Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States | Patton Aviatin Inc,. | No injuries | - |
| 20 Apr 2000 | Hiller UH-12ET | Stonesboro, South Carolina, United States | Henry Haddock | No injuries | - |
| 9 Sep 2000 | Grumman G164A | Dillon, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jan 2000 | Piper PA-24-180 | Cordesville, South Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 29 Nov 2000 | Piper PA-32-260 | Florence, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jul 2000 | Ryskamp SONEX | Greenville, South Carolina, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |