Mooney M20 N3877H
18 June 2016 · Clifton, Tennessee, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 June 2016 at about 18:28 local time, a Mooney M20 registered N3877H was involved in an accident near Clifton, Tennessee, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:28
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Clifton, Tennessee, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.4236, -85.7308
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20
- Registration
- N3877H
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1980
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Paducah → Panama City
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA16CA246
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
The flight's encounter with unforecast extreme turbulence, which resulted in a loss of airplane control and structural damage.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stated that he was conducting a cross-country flight and flying in instrument meteorological conditions at 7,000 ft mean sea level (msl) when the airplane encountered turbulence. While climbing to a higher altitude, he encountered extreme turbulence at 8,500 ft msl. The pilot lost control of the airplane, which entered an uncontrolled dive, and descended to 5,600 ft msl before he was able to regain control. The pilot subsequently landed without further incident. A postflight inspection of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot reported no preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation; however, he stated that he may have overstressed the airplane during the recovery from the uncontrolled descent. A review of weather data revealed that there were no SIGMETs or AIRMETs for turbulence issued for the area of the accident around the time of the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Mooney M20 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 May 2016 | Mooney M20 | Little Rock, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 2016 | Mooney M20 | Reedsburg, Wisconsin, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 May 2016 | Mooney M20 | Plano, Texas, United States | James M. McCrum | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Mar 2016 | Mooney M20 | Pottstown, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 May 2017 | Mooney M20 | Olathe, Kansas, United States | Smooth Blue Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 2017 | Mooney M20 | Skiatook, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Aug 2016 | Cessna A185 | Fayetteville, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Apr 2016 | Bell 206 | Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, United States | Great Smoky Mountain Helicopters Inc | Fatal | 5 |
| 11 Oct 2016 | Bellanca 8KCAB | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Dec 2016 | Piper PA28 | Madisonville, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jun 2016 | Bell 407 | Mountain City, Tennessee, United States | PHI Air Medical | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Dec 2016 | Cessna 182 | Gatlinburg, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |