# Accident 19881116050979A: Mooney M20K, Holden, MA, November 16, 1988

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 16, 1988, 18:50 local time
- Place: Holden, MA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.3518° N, 71.8634° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Holden, MA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.3518&lon=-71.8634&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1170Z, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1170Z-2013-10-25) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20K (registry code 5870220, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20k) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20K
- Reported engine: CONT TSIO360LB
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC89FA032](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC89FA032) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19881116050979A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NIGHT IFR DEPARTURE. REPORTED AUTOPILOT PROBLEM. DIVE INTO TREES. NO ANOMALIES. CURRENT IFR.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC89FA032](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC89FA032), Nov 16, 1988: Mooney M20K (N1170Z), Holden, MA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: INFLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND CONTACT WITH TREES PRIOR TO REGAINING CONTROL AFTER THE PILOT EXPERIENCED AN UNKNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE AUTOPILOT. CONTRIBUTING WAS THE LACK…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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