Mooney M20J N5769Y

Summary

On 24 August 1988 at about 03:58 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N5769Y, operated by Flightworks Aviation, Inc., was involved in an accident near Inyokern, California, 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

24 August 1988 at 03:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Inyokern, California, United States

Coordinates

35.8808, -118.1495

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N5769Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Flightworks Aviation, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Van Nuys → Mammoth

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX88FA297

1 person died.

PILOTS INFLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL AFTER ENCOUNTERING A LEVEL FOUR THUNDERSTORM ON A NIGHT VFR CROSS COUNTRY. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

WEATHER REPORTS FROM A NEARBY AIRPORT AND WITNESS OBSERVATIONS INDICATE THAT A LEVEL 4 THUNDERSTORMS WAS NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE AS THE ACFT APPROACHED. THE PLT DID NOT OBTAIN A PREFLT WX BRIEFING FOR THIS NIGHT VFR CROSS COUNTRY. THE WX INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT THE TIME HE DEPARTED CLEARLY NOTED THE THUNDERSTORM WITH HEAVY RAIN AND LIGHTENING PRESENT ON HIS ROUTE. RADAR DATA SHOWED THE ACFT TRACKING ALONG A HIGHWAY WITH THE MODE C REPORTING ERRATIC ALTITUDE JUMPS. THE RADAR DATA SHOWED THE ACFT TURN RIGHT TIGHTLY AND DESCEND AT A RAPID RATE. EVIDENCE AT THE SITE SHOWED THE ACFT CONTACTED THE GROUND IN A 60 DEGREE RIGHT BANK TURN WITH THE NOSE DOWN AT ABOUT 40 DEGREES AND AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE PLT WAS NOT CURRENT FOR NIGHT FLT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.