Mooney M20C accident near Pagosa Springs, CO
On November 15, 2014, a Mooney M20C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Pagosa Springs, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 15, 2014
- Place
- Pagosa Springs, CO
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.146°N, 106.828°W
- NTSB ID
- 20141119X62539
Official records · CEN15FA051
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- N6466U ATC Radar Data: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On Friday, November 14, 2014, about 1730 Mountain Standard Time (MST), a Mooney M20C, N6466U, collided with trees in mountainous terrain near Stevens Field (PSO), Pagosa Springs, Colorado. The certificated private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Moriarty Airport (0E0), Moriarty, New Mexico, and was destined for PSO. The pilot and his passenger were en route to Pagosa Springs to go skiing. There is no record of the pilot receiving a weather briefing from any official source. Prior to departure from 0E0, the pilot telephoned the fixed based operator (FBO) at PSO to reserve a rental car. He said he had never flown into PSO before, and the FBO advised the pilot not to attempt the flight due to inclement weather in the area. The pilot stated he was "a professional pilot" and that he would be flying into PSO that day. The FBO gave the pilot the telephone number for Enterprise Car Rental. The pilot called the rental car agency and reserved an automobile, stating he would be arriving about 1700. The rental car agent also advised the pilot of the inclement weather, and the pilot repeated his intention to fly to PSO that day. Approximately 1645, the FBO manager said he heard a "scratchy unintelligible transmission" on the PSO Unicom. A few minutes later,
Probable cause
The noninstrument-rated pilot's improper decision to fly to the destination airport and into known instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in his controlled flight into mountainous terrain during a snow storm.
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Browse: Colorado · 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.
