Mooney M20C accident near Starke, FL
On November 23, 2017, a Mooney M20C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Starke, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 23, 2017
- Place
- Starke, FL
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 29.952°N, 81.979°W
- NTSB ID
- 20171123X70738
Official records · ERA18FA030
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Transcript of radio communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 23, 2017, about 1515 eastern standard time, a Mooney M20, N6894N, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Starke, Florida. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was privately owned and operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the flight, which originated about 1419 from Ocala International Airport-Jim Taylor Field (OCF), Ocala, Florida, with a destination of Cecil Airport (VQQ), Jacksonville, Florida. A friend of the pilot reported that she flew to OCF as a passenger with the accident pilot in the accident airplane earlier on the day of the accident. She said that the flight was uneventful until they approached OCF, when the weather became "very turbulent." The pilot mentioned to her that he was trying to maintain altitude as he was preparing for landing. She said that, after they landed, it was "very windy and raining very hard." They went inside the fixed-base-operator (FBO), where the pilot mentioned that he had to get to VQQ for his daughter's birthday and Thanksgiving. She told him that he should "wait it out," and he agreed. FBO personnel reported that, as the pilot waited for the weather to improve, he asked them to top off the airplane's fuel tanks. They advised the pilot that the weather was very bad and that he should wait for the fuel. The pilot said that he needed the fuel "now" because he was trying to get to his daughter's house for Thanksgiving and requ
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of control due to spatial disorientation while maneuvering in instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing was the pilot's lack of instrument currency and his self-induced pressure to complete the flight.
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Browse: Florida · 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.
