Mooney M20J accident near Centennial, WY
On August 4, 1998, a Mooney M20J (airplane) was involved in an accident near Centennial, WY. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 4, 1998
- Place
- Centennial, WY
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 41.299°N, 106.109°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X10830
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 4, 1998, between 0600 and 0700 mountain daylight time, a Mooney M20J, N5698L was destroyed when it impacted terrain at 10,400 feet above sea level, during cruise flight approximately 15 miles northwest of Centennial, Wyoming. The private certificated, non-instrument rated, pilot received fatal injuries. The flight was a cross-country operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the accident area. The flight originated from Longmont, Colorado, with a destination of Buchanan Field, Oakland, California. The aircraft was found on August 7, 1998, by the Civil Air Patrol following a 3-day search. At 0451 on August 4, 1998, the pilot contacted Denver Flight Service via telephone and received a weather brief for a flight from Longmont (2V2) to Oakland (CCR) via Salt Lake City, Utah (SLC), Battle Mountain, Nevada, (BAM), and Reno, Nevada, (RNO). The pilot did not file a flight plan. The weather brief provided information that visual flight through the Rocky Mountain States was not recommended due to mountainous terrain being obscured by clouds. At 0614, the pilot of N5698L contacted flight watch by radio and received a weather update. Again, visual flight for westbound flights was not recommended due to weather. When the flight did not arrive at its destination, concerned family members contacted flight service and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) for an overdue aircraft was issued through flight service. Radar track information developed by Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), pro
Probable cause
The pilot's disregard of information provided in weather briefs, and his flight into known adverse weather in mountainous terrain which resulted in an in-flight collision with a mountain. Factors were rain and low ceiling/visibility.
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Browse: Wyoming · 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.
