Mooney M20J N54PM

Summary

On 28 July 2016 at about 16:38 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N54PM was involved in an accident near Holmen, Wisconsin, 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.

Date

28 July 2016 at 16:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Holmen, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

La Crosse Regional Airport (LSE)

Coordinates

43.9789, -91.2136

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N54PM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1988

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Willmar → La Crosse

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16FA295

1 person died.

The pilot's loss of airplane control during an instrument approach. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of instrument flight proficiency.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting a personal instrument flight rules cross-country flight in day instrument meteorological conditions. As the airplane neared the destination airport, the center air traffic controller working the flight cleared the airplane for an instrument landing system approach, vectored the airplane onto a course to intercept the localizer, and instructed the pilot to contact the airport's air traffic control tower. The pilot established contact with the tower controller and requested radar vectors to intercept the localizer. The tower was not radar-equipped so the tower controller instructed the pilot to change frequencies back to the center air traffic controller for radar vectors. The pilot responded to the instruction, but there were no further radio transmissions from the pilot on the center frequency or the tower frequency. The airplane impacted terrain on a south heading about 5.6 miles north/northeast of runway 18. The wreckage path length, separation of airplane structure, and component damage were consistent with a high-speed, uncontrolled impact with terrain. Examination of the airplane wreckage confirmed flight control continuity, and the propeller displayed signatures consistent with engine power at the time of impact. The attitude indicator gyro exhibited rotational signatures, and the engine-driven vacuum pump exhibited torsional overstress consistent with operation at the time of impact. The wreckage did not display any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal airplane operation. An autopsy of the pilot was not performed, and no toxicology samples were available for testing. The pilot's logbook showed that his most recent instrument proficiency check took place about 3 years before the accident and that he did not meet recent instrument flight experience requirements for flight in instrument meteorological conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.