Mooney M20M accident near Crane Hill, AL
On September 17, 2012, a Mooney M20M (airplane) was involved in an accident near Crane Hill, AL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 17, 2012
- Place
- Crane Hill, AL
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20M · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.976°N, 87.117°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120917X63831
Official records · ERA12FA566
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Excerpts, FAA Partial Air Traffic Control Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 17, 2012, about 1400 central daylight time, a Mooney M20M, N1085A, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in Crane Hill, Alabama. The private pilot and the passenger were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed, and the airplane was operating on an instrument flight rules flight plan from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (DTS), Destin, Florida, to Sumner County Regional Airport (M33), Gallatin, Tennessee. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to air traffic control information provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airplane departed DTS at 1245, and was subsequently issued a heading of 330 degrees and a climb to 10,000 feet. At 1247, the pilot contacted the next sector controller, who issued an advisory for weather in the airplane's flight path. At 1253, the pilot was told to switch to Jacksonville Center and to expect vectors around a weather cell from the receiving controller. At 1254, the pilot made contact with the next controller and reported climbing from 7,000 to 10,000 feet. The controller advised the pilot of "extreme" precipitation, and asked his intentions. The pilot stated that he was looking at "ADS-B" (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) weather, described what he saw, and told the controller his plans. At 1255, the controller advised the pilot to maintain 13,000 feet, and approved deviations left or right of course, proceed direct to destination when able. At 1300, the controller asked the pi
Probable cause
The pilot’s loss of control in moderate-to-heavy rain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s reliance on ADS-B for tactical weather avoidance.
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Browse: Alabama · 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.
