Mooney M20K accident near Katy, TX
On January 31, 2019, a Mooney M20K (airplane) was involved in an accident near Katy, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 31, 2019
- Place
- Katy, TX
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 29.741°N, 95.830°W
- NTSB ID
- 20190131X82219
Official records · CEN19FA078
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 31, 2019, about 1610 central standard time, a Mooney M20K airplane, N56359, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Katy, Texas. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot's wife reported that she and the pilot departed Rohnerville Airport (FOT), Fortuna, California, the day before the accident, and stopped in Arizona to refuel. During the landing approach, they received a low battery indication. They landed uneventfully and taxied to the ramp area to refuel. When they restarted the airplane for departure, everything appeared normal, and they continued the flight to El Paso International Airport (ELP), El Paso, Texas. About 10-15 miles from ELP, the entire instrument panel went dark, and they used flashlights to see the instruments. The pilot reported to air traffic control that they had power issues. ELP air traffic cleared the runway and they landed the airplane uneventfully. They decided to stay the night in El Paso. While at dinner, they were discussing the power issue and believed it to be an alternator problem. They made the decision that she would fly home commercially because she needed to return to work and the pilot “did not want her to go down [with the pilot] if something went wrong” during the return flight from ELP to West Houston Airport (IWS), Houston, Texas. She reported she left the pilot the next morning at 0530 to make the commercial flight. The pilot filed a VFR flight plan and took off from ELP about 1250. The fl
Probable cause
The noninstrument-rated pilot's decision to continue visual flight into an area of instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation.
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Browse: Texas · 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.
