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| Date: | Saturday 11 May 1985 |
| Time: | 16:44 |
| Type: |  Mooney M20J |
| Owner/operator: | Somody Supply |
| Registration: | N5765K |
| MSN: | 24-1481 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-360 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Covington, TN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | St.Joseph, MO |
| Tallahassee, FL | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
AFTER TAKEOFF, THE FLT PROGRESSED NORMALLY, EXCEPT ONE ARTCC CONTROLLER HAD DIFFICULTY COMMUNICATING WITH THE PLT DURING THE EARLY PART OF THE flight. AFTER CRUISING AT 11,000 FT FOR APRX 2 HRS, THE PLT OBTAINED UPDATED WX INFO & REQUESTED CLEARANCE TO DESCEND TO 9000 FT TO AVOID BUILD-UPS. HE WAS CLEARED TO DEVIATE & DESCEND AT HIS DISCRETION & HE ACKNOWLEDGED. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, RADAR & RADIO CONTACT WERE LOST. AN IN-FLT BREAK-UP OCCURRED & THE WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER A WIDE AREA. THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS WERE FOUND APRX 2-1/2 MI FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THEY HAD FAILED IN A SLIGHT UP & REARWARD DIRECTION. NO PRE-ACCIDENT FAILURES WERE FOUND. WX DATA SHOWED THAT THE ACFT LIKELY PENETRATED THE EDGE OF A STRONG (VIP LEVEL 3) THUNDERSTORM WITH SEVERE TURBULENCE, RAIN & UP/DOWNDRAFTS. A CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED A SMALL AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL (0.05%); HOWEVER, THE AMOUNT DUE TO POSSIBLE PUTREFACTION OR CONTAMINATION WAS NOT DETERMINED. CAUSE:
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001214X36345
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
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