Mooney M20J N201DG

Summary

On 29 May 2019 at about 15:15 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N201DG was involved in an accident near Cape May, New Jersey, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 May 2019 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Cape May, New Jersey, United States

Coordinates

38.9256, -74.9431

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N201DG

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Robbinsville → Robbinsville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19FA184

1 person died.

The pilot's intentional flight into water as an act of suicide.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was seen by multiple witnesses flying low just above the ocean surface near the shoreline. One witness stated that he saw the airplane flying about 10 ft above the ocean when it contacted the water, climbed about 100 to 200 ft, then entered a steep dive and impacted the water in a near-vertical attitude. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no pre-impact mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Following a death investigation, the state medical examiner classified the manner of death as suicide.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.