Mooney M20E accident near Angel Fire, NM
On February 5, 1998, a Mooney M20E (airplane) was involved in an accident near Angel Fire, NM. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 5, 1998
- Place
- Angel Fire, NM
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.390°N, 105.271°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X09537
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 5, 1998, at 1629 mountain standard time, a Mooney M20E, N9213M, owned and operated by the pilot, was destroyed when it impacted mountainous terrain while in cruise flight 10 miles south-southeast of Taos, New Mexico. The private pilot and one of his two dogs, Duke, was fatally injured. The other dog, Jake, was seriously injured and had to be destroyed. Instrument meteorological conditions reportedly were forecast in the area, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Santa Fe, New Mexico, at 1558. According to family members, the pilot, Gordon VeneKlasen, was traveling to Angel Fire to pick up his son, Garrett. From there they planned to fly to Texas to go quail hunting. Accompanying Mr. VeneKlasen were his two dogs, Jake and Duke. There is no record of him obtaining a weather briefing or filing a flight plan for the 60-mile flight to Angel Fire. When the airplane failed to arrive, an ALNOT (alert notice) was issued at 2126. The wreckage was located by a New Mexico State Police helicopter pilot at 1020 on February 8, 1998, at the 10,700 foot level of Rito Quioen Saba, part of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range, at 36 degrees, 15.81 minutes north latitude and 105 degrees, 24.866 minutes west longitude. Search and rescue personnel reported that a witness, Fred Fair, had seen a low wing airplane "flying in and out of the cloud bottoms" shortly before the estimated time of the accident. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, Gordon O. VeneKlasen, age 73, was born on October
Probable cause
The pilot attempting VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions and his lack of an instrument rating. Factors were weather conditions that included mountain wave activity conducive to turbulence, and clouds obscuring the mountainous terrain.
More accidents in NM
- Gates Learjet 25D, Sep 5, 1993
- Piper PA-32-300, Dec 26, 1982
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-30, Jun 25, 1992
- Cessna 421C, Feb 11, 1985
- Beech 58, Mar 26, 1982
Browse: New Mexico · 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.
