Mooney M20C accident near Marana, AZ
On December 31, 2021, a Mooney M20C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Marana, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 31, 2021
- Place
- Marana, AZ
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 32.692°N, 112.128°W
- NTSB ID
- 20220104104482
Official records · WPR22FA073
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 31, 2021, about 1330 mountain standard time, a Mooney M20C, N6796N, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Marana, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot's family reported that he had departed Marana Regional Airport (AVQ), Marana, Arizona, on December 31, 2021, with an intended destination of French Valley Airport (F70), Murrieta/Temecula, California. Flight Service was notified by concerned family that the pilot had not arrived at the French Valley Airport and was 5 hours overdue. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Alert Notice shortly after. The airplane wreckage was located by a search and rescue (SAR) air unit the morning of January 4, 2022. There are no known witnesses to the accident sequence. The flight track data provided by SAR started about 2 ½ miles northwest of AVQ at 1929:38. The flight track data showed the accident airplane on a northwest heading; however, the data contained only general headings with no altitudes. About 1943:43, the flight track data showed the airplane made a left turn and continued on a southwest heading. The data showed that at 1952:40 the airplane started a series of turns until radar contact was lost at 2004:52. An animation of the flight track data with a weather overlay was also provided by SAR. The animation showed the airplane enter an area of weather, then enter into several turns before contact was lost. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAt the time of the accident, the pilot had
Probable cause
The pilot’s loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation after entering instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment due to use of methamphetamine before the flight.
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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.
