Mooney M20C accident near Flower Pot, AZ
On December 8, 2019, a Mooney M20C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Flower Pot, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 8, 2019
- Place
- Flower Pot, AZ
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.479°N, 111.989°W
- NTSB ID
- 20191213X42028
Official records · CEN20FA034
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 8, 2019, about 1300 mountain standard time, a Mooney model M20C airplane, N5557Q, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Flower Pot, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured. The aircraft was operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The accident site was discovered by a rancher on the morning of December 13, 2019. There were no witnesses to the impact, but witnesses that saw the airplane on December 8, 2019, came forward after learning that the airplane had crashed. The witnesses were driving in a car southbound on Interstate 17 near Munds Park, Arizona, when an orange and white low-wing airplane flew over their car at low altitude. The witnesses reported a low cloud ceiling with good visibility below the clouds. The witnesses provided three pictures of the airplane that showed it travelling in the same direction as the car, close to the ground. The witnesses said that the airplane appeared to be following the road. The pictures also showed low clouds with obscuration of mountain peaks in the background. The witnesses reported that, about 20 minutes after taking the pictures, in the approximate area of the accident site, visibility reduced to about ¼ mile and the clouds extended to the ground. Examination of one of the photographs provided by the witnesses showed that the airplane was about 227 ft. above ground level (agl) (see figure). Figure 1. Photograph of accident airplane provided by a witness with distance markers added to the image showing the airplane's height above ground. R
Probable cause
The noninstrument-rated pilot’s decision to initiate and continue the visual flight rules flight into an area of forecast instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the pilot’s spatial disorientation and loss of airplane control. Contributing was the pilot's lack of instrument flight experience.
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Browse: Arizona · 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.
