Mooney M20R N968SM

Summary

On 23 December 2010 at about 00:50 local time, a Mooney M20R registered N968SM, operated by Rockland Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Dundee, New York, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 December 2010 at 00:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Dundee, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Penn Yan (PEO)

Coordinates

42.5211, -77.0356

Aircraft

Mooney M20R

Registration

N968SM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Rockland Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Caldwell → Penn Yan

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA11FA095

1 person died.

The pilot's decision to operate in known moderate-to-severe icing conditions, which resulted in a loss of control during approach.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Prior to departing on the night instrument meteorological conditions flight, the pilot obtained a weather briefing that included an airmen's meteorological information for moderate icing conditions below 12,000 feet and two pilot reports, one for light-to-moderate and one for moderate-to-severe icing conditions. The flight progressed toward the destination airport and the pilot was advised by an air traffic controller of pilot reports for moderate and severe icing conditions in the surrounding areas. The airplane intercepted the initial approach fix, turned onto the runway approach course, and began a normal descent through clouds without incident until it veered to the northeast and radar contact was lost. The airplane impacted the ground about 1 mile north-northwest of the last radar target and 8 miles south of the destination airport. No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation. Evidence of significant in-flight ice accumulation was observed on the base of a communications antenna mounted on the top of the fuselage and on the upper surface of the inboard two-thirds of the left horizontal stabilizer. At the time of the accident, freezing precipitation, which coated the ground with ice, was present in the vicinity of the accident site. The airplane was not equipped with deicing systems and was not approved for flight into known icing conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.