Mooney M20C N7045V

Summary

On 20 September 1997 at about 16:30 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N7045V was involved in an accident near Pettigrew, Arkansas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 September 1997 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Pettigrew, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Mooney M20C

Registration

N7045V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Roanoke → Lakeview

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW97LA358

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper in-flight decision. Factors were the prevailing low ceilings, the inaccurate flight and navigation instruments as result of the failure of the engine accessories vacuum pump and the lack of suitable terrain for the pilot to execute the precautionary landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while on a VFR cross country flight, the weather deteriorated to broken to overcast ceilings. The pilot stated that he noticed the vacuum pressure in the instrument pressure gauge dropped below the normal operating range and both gyros started to fail. About 10 minutes later the pressure went to zero resulting in the loss of the artificial horizon, directional gyro and the wing leveler system. The pilot stated that after losing the gyros, he elected to proceed towards the nearest airport (Huntsville), using VOR for navigation. The weather continued to deteriorate and he elected to descend in order to remain VFR. The airplane descended below the minimum reception altitude for the VOR, resulting in the loss of VOR and DME. The pilot elected to execute a precautionary landing in an open pasture. The pilot told the IIC that the field selected looked level from the air; however, during the landing roll he found that the field had a couple of rises in it which minimized the effectiveness of the wheel brakes resulting in the airplane skidding into a fence post.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.