ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 221404
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| Date: | Thursday 31 January 2019 |
| Time: | 16:10 |
| Type: |  Mooney M20K 231 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N56359 |
| MSN: | 25-0745 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1983 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2736 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental TSIO-360-LB |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Katy, Houston,TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | El Paso International Airport, TX (ELP/KELP) |
| Houston-West Houston Airport, TX (IWS/KIWS) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The Mooney M20K airplane, N56359, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Katy, Texas. The private pilot was fatally injured.
The non-instrument-rated private pilot had received a weather briefing before departing on the visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country flight, which included the presence of moderate to heavy precipitation, including some thunderstorms, near the destination airport. The pilot was advised that VFR flight was not recommended and that he should seek additional weather information as he neared his destination.
Weather observations and satellite imagery indicated that instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed in the vicinity of where the pilot began making multiple course changes and at the accident site. It is likely that the pilot encountered rain, possibly heavy rain, during the final portion of the flight. Weather observations near the destination airports, AIRMETs, and visible satellite weather images all indicated that the pilot encountered IMC en route.
The aircraft crashed in a muddy field on the west side of a residential development. The airplane impacted the ground in a near-vertical attitude. The propeller and engine were embedded about 6 ft into the ground. The airplane’s wings and empennage were separated and the forward fuselage, cockpit and baggage area were highly fragmented.
Examinations of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. The restricted visibility conditions present in the area were conducive to the development of
spatial disorientation, and the airplane's maneuvering and spiraling descent are consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. It is likely that the pilot experienced spatial disorientation during an encounter with instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of control.
PROBABLE CAUSE:
The non-instrument-rated pilot's decision to continue visual flight into an area of instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://abc13.com/1-person-possibly-dead-after-small-plane-crash-near-katy/5115253/
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/small-plane-crashes-near-houston-just-misses-homes
https://abc13.com/1-person-dead-after-small-plane-crash-near-katy/5115253/
https://www.chron.com/houston/article/Airplane-crashed-in-west-Harris-County-13578713.php
https://www.click2houston.com/video/officials-provide-updates-after-deadly-plane-crash-in-west-harris-county
https://www.click2houston.com/news/1-dead-after-small-plane-crashes-near-west-houston-airport-officials-say
Data_____
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N56359
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/n56359
https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/98935/pdf
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Feb-2019 01:36 | Geno | Added |
| 01-Feb-2019 01:38 | Geno | Updated [Date] |
| 01-Feb-2019 02:10 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 01-Feb-2019 10:41 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Source] |
| 01-Feb-2019 10:52 | RobertMB | Updated [Location, Phase, Nature, Source] |
| 01-Feb-2019 11:16 | RobertMB | Updated [Location, Phase, Nature, Source] |
| 01-Feb-2019 11:20 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 01-Feb-2019 11:21 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source] |
| 01-Feb-2019 17:59 | Anon. | Updated [Registration, Cn] |
| 01-Feb-2019 18:56 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 01-Feb-2019 18:58 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Feb-2019 19:36 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Feb-2019 19:37 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Feb-2019 19:44 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Feb-2019 10:45 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 17-Feb-2022 19:57 | aaronwk | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category] |
| 17-Feb-2022 20:04 | harro | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, Photo] |
| 17-Feb-2022 20:05 | harro | Updated [[Narrative, Accident report, Photo]] |
| 17-Feb-2022 20:06 | harro | Updated [[[Narrative, Accident report, Photo]]] |
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