Mooney M20F accident near Wellsville, NY
On December 11, 1996, a Mooney M20F (airplane) was involved in an accident near Wellsville, NY. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 11, 1996
- Place
- Wellsville, NY
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 42.119°N, 77.940°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X07176
NTSB summary
On December 11, 1996, approximately 1620 eastern standard time, a Mooney, M20F, N3424N, was destroyed when it collided with the terrain during an approach to the Wellsville Municipal, Tarantine Field, Wellsville, New York. The certificated private pilot/owner and the passenger in the front seat received fatal injuries, the passenger in the back seat was seriously injured. Instrument meteorological conditions existed and a instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, which originated from Erie International Airport, Erie, Pennsylvania, at 1530. The surviving passenger reported that he occupied the front right seat when he flew with the pilot from Pottstown, Pennsylvania, to Erie, Pennsylvania, to pickup another passenger. The surviving passenger stated that he was seated in the back for the flight from Erie to Wellsville, New York. He stated that there was no indication from the pilot that anything was wrong, the engine sounded good, and there was no ice on the airplane. He remembered the pilot utilizing his Global Positioning System (GPS) during the flight. During the approach into the Wellsville Airport, the surviving passenger reported that he heard the pilot state, "I can see the ground" and gave the thumbs up signal. This statement was followed by the front right seat passenger exclaiming, "Look out for the trees, pull up, pull up!" The surviving passenger reported that there was no power application and they crashed shortly afterwards. The weather recorded by the Wellsville Municipal Automated Surface Observation
Probable cause
Descent below the published minimum descent altitude followed by collision with the surrounding terrain.
More accidents in NY
- Airbus Industrie A300B4-605R, Nov 12, 2001
- Boeing 747-131, Jul 18, 1996
- Bombardier Inc DHC-8-402, Feb 13, 2009
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-40, Apr 12, 2025
- Piper PA-31-350, Dec 15, 1989
Browse: New York · Mooney aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
