Mooney M20J accident near Grantsville, UT
On October 4, 2003, a Mooney M20J (airplane) was involved in an accident near Grantsville, UT. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 4, 2003
- Place
- Grantsville, UT
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 2 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.629°N, 112.942°W
- NTSB ID
- 20031014X01719
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 4, 2003, approximately 1310 mountain daylight time, a Mooney M20J, N201KM, registered to Aerie Aviation, LLC, of Wilmington, Delaware, and operated by the pilot, impacted mountainous terrain while maneuvering 29 miles west of Grantsville, Utah. Two passengers were fatally injured, and the airline transport certificated pilot and another passenger (spouse) were seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Salt Lake City, Utah, at 0950. According to the pilot's written statement submitted with his accident report, "The purpose of the flight was to locate and photograph raptor nests in the area west of Tooele, Utah." It was part of a volunteer program for the Bureau of Land Management's Raptor Inventory Nest Survey. The airplane was serviced with 43 gallons of fuel that, according to the pilot, brought the total fuel on board to 50 gallons (64 gallons possible, see fuel invoice exhibit). Salt Lake City control tower issued the pilot a departure clearance to Tooele at 1008, and the airplane took off at 1013. According to FAA documents, TRACON (terminal radar control) terminated radar services at 1022 when the airplane was westbound and 8 miles west of the airport. The pilot then contacted Hill Air Force Base's Clover Control and received authorization to transit military airspace. The pilot said that approximately two hour later, the flight exited "the eastern boundary of Clover's airspace, crossed the Cedar Mo
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate visual outlook during low level flight maneuvers that resulted in a collision with terrain. A contributing factor was the pilot's attention being diverted.
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Browse: Utah · 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.
