Mooney M20C N6466U

Summary

On 15 November 2014 at about 00:30 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N6466U was involved in an accident near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 November 2014 at 00:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

37.1461, -106.8278

Aircraft

Mooney M20C

Registration

N6466U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1962

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Moriarty → Pagosa Springs

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN15FA051

2 people died.

The noninstrument-rated pilot's improper decision to fly to the destination airport and into known instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in his controlled flight into mountainous terrain during a snow storm.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The noninstrument-rated pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. There was no record that the pilot received a weather briefing from any official source before the flight. However, before departure, the pilot telephoned the fixed-based operator (FBO) at the destination airport to reserve a rental car. The FBO manager advised the pilot not to attempt the flight due to inclement weather in the area; the conditions included heavy snow and poor visibility. The pilot stated he was "a professional pilot" and that he would be flying into the airport that day.  The FBO manager reported that, as the airplane was approaching the airport, he received a "scratchy unintelligible transmission" over the Unicom frequency. A few minutes later, he heard another transmission from the same source and the word "Mooney." Shortly thereafter, the FBO heard a clear transmission from the pilot indicating that he was 10 miles south of the airport. He then advised the pilot that the weather conditions were "100 [ft] overcast and a quarter-mile visibility in snow." The FBO manager reported that, shortly later, he went outside and heard an airplane approaching and then circling to the south and that he estimated that the airplane was "probably below 1,000 feet" above ground level. Shortly thereafter, the pilot called the Unicom frequency and asked if the runway lights were at their highest intensity setting. The FBO manager confirmed that they were and asked the pilot what his intentions were. The pilot replied, "I need to get out of the weather." No further communications were received from the pilot. Air traffic control radar showed that the airplane was southeast of the airport at 9,100 ft mean sea level at the last radar point, and the wreckage was located in mountainous terrain. An examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact anomalies. The pilot's improper decision to fly to the destination airport and into known meteorological conditions likely resulted in his controlled flight into mountainous terrain.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.