ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 171443
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| Date: | Friday 14 November 2014 |
| Time: | 17:30 |
| Type: |  Mooney M20C Ranger |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N6466U |
| MSN: | 2213 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1962 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4628 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-A1D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | San Juan National Forest SE of Pagosa Springs, CO -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Moriarty, NM (0E0) |
| Pagosa Springs, CO (PSO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The noninstrument-rated pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. There was no record that the pilot received a weather briefing from any official source before the flight. However, before departure, the pilot telephoned the fixed-based operator (FBO) at the destination airport to reserve a rental car. The FBO manager advised the pilot not to attempt the flight due to inclement weather in the area; the conditions included heavy snow and poor visibility. The pilot stated he was "a professional pilot" and that he would be flying into the airport that day.
The FBO manager reported that, as the airplane was approaching the airport, he received a "scratchy unintelligible transmission" over the Unicom frequency. A few minutes later, he heard another transmission from the same source and the word "Mooney." Shortly thereafter, the FBO heard a clear transmission from the pilot indicating that he was 10 miles south of the airport. He then advised the pilot that the weather conditions were "100 [ft] overcast and a quarter-mile visibility in snow." The FBO manager reported that, shortly later, he went outside and heard an airplane approaching and then circling to the south and that he estimated that the airplane was "probably below 1,000 feet" above ground level. Shortly thereafter, the pilot called the Unicom frequency and asked if the runway lights were at their highest intensity setting. The FBO manager confirmed that they were and asked the pilot what his intentions were. The pilot replied, "I need to get out of the weather." No further communications were received from the pilot.
Air traffic control radar showed that the airplane was southeast of the airport at 9,100 ft mean sea level at the last radar point, and the wreckage was located in mountainous terrain. An examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact anomalies. The pilot's improper decision to fly to the destination airport and into known meteorological conditions likely resulted in his controlled flight into mountainous terrain.
Probable Cause: The noninstrument-rated pilot's improper decision to fly to the destination airport and into known instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in his controlled flight into mountainous terrain during a snow storm.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N6466U
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Nov-2014 05:37 | Geno | Added |
| 02-Dec-2014 19:49 | Geno | Updated [Date, Time, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 30-Nov-2017 19:34 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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