Mooney M20K N252ZF

Summary

On 14 November 1987 at about 20:40 local time, a Mooney M20K registered N252ZF was involved in an accident near Danby, Vermont, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

14 November 1987 at 20:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Danby, Vermont, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Mooney M20K

Registration

N252ZF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

East Hampton → Rutland

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC88FA042

2 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PILOT WAS ON A VFR CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT WHEN THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED RAPIDLY AND COLLIDED WITH TREES. SEVERAL WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING EXTENSIVE ENGINE SURGES. WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING THE ACFT MANEUVERING IN A HIGHLY ERRATIC MANNER, THEN BEGIN A NOSE DIVE FOLLOWED BY ACFT ROTATION. ALL THE WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY HEARD THE ACFT'S ENGINE SURGE TO A HIGH SETTING JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT. THE ACFT WAS HEADING WEST WHEN IT IMPACTED IN A 40 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AND A 45 DEGREE RIGHT BANK. THE ACFT DEBRIS WERE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT A 100 BY 200 FOOT AREA OF THE DENSELY FORRESTED, HARD GROUND. THE AREA FORECAST INCLUDED MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS, MODERATE RIME OR MIXED ICING, AND TURBULENCE WITH VISIBILITIES BETWEEN 3 TO 5 MILES. THE LOCAL WEATHER WAS AS FORECAST ACCORDING TO LOCAL WITNESSES AND BY AIRLINE EMPLOYEES.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.