# Accident 19980505008399A: Mooney M20K, Bakersfield, CA, May 5, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 5, 1998, 09:30 local time - Place: Bakersfield, CA - Airport: Bakersfield Municipal Airport - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Descent - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.3249° N, 118.9960° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at BAKERSFIELD MUNI (L45), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.3249&lon=-118.9960&mi=10 - Aircraft: N231BY, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N231BY-2000-02-04) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Mooney M20K (registry code 5870220, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20k) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: MOONEY M20K - Reported engine: CONT TSIO520NB - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Pilot flight hours: 350 total, 83 in this make and model, 53 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX98FA154](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98FA154) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980505008399A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. S ENROUTE AT 9000FT. REQUESTED VECTORS TO L45. BROKE UP INFLIGH T DURING DESCENT. EXCEED DESIGN LOADS. (.4) FROM AN EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE AND AIRPLANE WRECKAGE, THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS FOUND AT AN APPROXIMATE ELEVATION OF 300 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL. ITS GLOBAL POSITIONING SATELLITE COORDINATES ARE APPROX.: 35 DEGREES 13.405 MINUTES NORTH LATITUDE BY 119 DEGREES 10.563 MINUTES WEST LONGITUDE. ALONG THE 0.46 MILE-LONG WRECKAGE DISTRIBUTION PATH, THE FIRST COMPONENTS FOUND WERE THE OUTBOARD PORTIONS OF THE LEFT AND RIGHT ELEVATORS. THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS AND RUDDER COMPONENTS WERE FOUND TO THE SOUTH OF THE ELEVATORS. FURTHER SOUTH WERE THE LEFT AND RIGHT WINGS. THE HEAVY IMPACT DAMAGED MAIN WRECKAGE, CONSISTING OF THE PROPELLER, ENGINE, COCKPIT, AND FUSELAGE, WAS FOUND TOGETHER, SOUTHEAST (135 DEGREES, MAGNETIC) FROM THE ELEVATORS. THE AIRPLANE'S RECORDING TACHOMETER WAS FOUND IN THE WRECKAGE. IT WAS READING 82.53 HOURS. ALSO, AN OXYGEN BOTTLE WAS NOTED IN THE WRECKAGE. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN ON A NORTHWESTERLY HEADING. THE PROPELLER HUB WAS ABOUT 2 FEET BELOW GROUND LEVEL. THE THREE PROPELLER BLADES WERE FOUND WITH THE HUB. NO EVIDENCE OF STREAKING WAS NOTED ON THE AIRPLANE, AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE. THE INBOARD 5 1/2 FEET OF LEFT WING WAS FOUND ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE. THE ENTIRE RIGHT WING WAS FOUND SEPARATED. (-19)ON MAY 5, 1998, AT 0930 PDT, A MOONEY M20K, N231BY, OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT, EXPEREINCED AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP WHILE DESCENDING. THE AIRPLANE CRASHED INTO AN OPEN FIELD ABOUT 11 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHWEST OF BAKERSFIELD, CA. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, AND AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED AND THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM SACRAMENTO, CA. AT 0802. THE FAA REPORTED THAT THE PILOT SPOKE WITH OAKLAND FLIGHT WATCH PERSONNEL WHILE HE WAS CRUISING AT FLIGHT LEVEL 190 (19,000 FEET) AND PROCEEDING IN A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION ENROUTE TOWARD HIS FLIGHT PLANNED DESTINATION OF SANTA MONICA, CA. AT 0855, FLIGHT WATCH PERSONNEL ASKED THE PILOT IF HE WAS AWARE OF THE FORECAST TOP OF THE LAYERED CLOUDS WAS 20,000 FEET, AND THAT THE FREEZING LEVEL WAS FORECAST AS LOW AS 7,000 FEET. AT 0903, THE SOUTHBOUND PILOT WAS NORTH OF BAKERSFIELD. A LOS ANGLES ROUTE AIRTRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER (ARTCC) CONTROLLER ADVISED HIM THAT AROUND SHAFTER (NEAR BAKERSFIELD) THE TOPS OF THE CLOUDS STARTED TO RISE TO ABOU T FLIGHT LEVEL 220, AND THERE WERE REPORTS OF A TRACE OF MIXED RIME ICING IN THE CLOUDS. ALSO, SOUTH OF BAKERSFIELD, CLEAR ICING HAD BEEN REPORTED BETWEEN 13,000 AND 15,000 FEET. AT 0908, THE PILOT REQUESTED A 20-DEGREE COURSE DEVIATION BECAUSE OF A BUILDUP. THE CONTROLLER APPROVED THE REQUEST. A FEW MINUTES LATER, THE PILOT INDICATED THAT HE WAS GOING TO TRY SKIRTING ALONG THE WEST SIDE (OF THE WEATHER) IF POSSIBLE. AT 0923, THE CONTROLLER CLEARED THE PILOT TO DESCEND AND MAINTAIN 15,000 FEET DUE TO TRAFFIC. THE CONTROLLER ALSO STATED THAT ANOTHER BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING IN FROM THE WEST (OF HIS ROUTE). THE PILOT ADVISED THE CONTOLLER THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO TURN AROUND AND GO INTO THE BAKERSFIELD MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, AND THAT IT DIDN'T LOOK TOO GOOD UP AHEAD. ONE MINUTE LATER THE CONTROLLER CLEARED THE PILOT TO DESCEND TO 14,000 FEET, AND INDICATED THAT HE COULD EXPECT A TURN BACK TO BAKERSFIELD. THE ARTCC CONTROLLER THEN HANDED OFF FURTHER CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE TO A BAKERSFIELD RADAR CONTROLLER. AT 0926:33, THE AIRPLANE WAS DESCENDING THROUGH 15,400 FEET AND WAS ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTH OF THE BAKERSFIELD MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. THE BAKERSFIELD RADAR CONTROLLER DIRECTED THAT THE PILOT FLY ON A 270-DEGREE HEADING, AND AT 0927:10 THE CONTROLLER INSTRUCTED THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN 7,000 FEET. THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLEARANCE. THE LAST COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE PILOT OCCURRED BETWEEN 0928:21 AND 0929:40. DURING THIS PERIOD THE CONTROLLER ADVISED THE PILOT TO CONTACT APPROACH CONTROL, AND TO "TURN THE LONG WAY AROUND TO A HEADING OF ZERO NINER ZERO." THE PILOT REPEATED THE CLEARANCE. AT 0929:30 THE PILOT INDICATED THAT HE WAS DESCENDING THROUGH 10,200 FEET. AT 0929:35, THE PILOT WAS CLEARED TO DESCEND AND MAINTAIN 2,300 FEET. THE PILOT RESPONDED AT 0929:40 BY STATING "DOWN TO TWO THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED ONE BRAVO YANKEE". NO FURTHER COMMUNICATIONS WEERE RECORDED FROM THE PILOT. AT 0920:21 THE SOUND OF AN EMERGENCY LOCATOR TRANSMITTER (ELT) WAS HEARD IN THE BAKERSFIELD RADAR FACILITY. ABOUT 6 MINUTES LATER, A BAKERSFIELD RADAR CONTROLLER STATED TO ANOTHER AIRCRAFT THAT "THERE IS A WEATHER AREA UH DEPICTED UH RIGHT THE UH WHERE THE AIRCRAFT DROPPED OF THE RADAR IS RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF A WEATHER AREA.." A GROUND BASED EYEWITNESS, LOCATED NEAR INTERSTATE HWY 5, REPORTED HEARING THE SOUND OF AN ENGINE AT A HIGH RPM, AND A LOUD "POP" SOUND. HE THEN OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE FALLING BENEATH THE OVERCAST LAYER OF CLOUDS. ABOUT 3 TO 4 SECONDS LATER, HE SAW DEBRIS FALLING DOWN FROM THE SAME GENERAL AREA. THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS FOUND IN AN OPEN FIELD ABOUT 330 YARDS EAST OF THE HIGHWAY. (-23) AIRCRAFT N231BY DEPARTED SACRAMENTO EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (SAC) ENROUTE TO SANTA MONICA AIRPORT (SMO) ON A IFR FLIGHT PLAN AT FLIGHT LEVEL 19.0 FT WHEN THE PILOT REQUESTED VECTORS BACK TO BAKERSFIELD AIRPORT (L45). THERE WERE KNOWN THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA AS HE WAS DESCENDING IN IFR CONDITIONS TO AN ALTITUDE OF 8,000 FEET. AT APPROXIMATELY 0930 HRS, THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND ABOUT ONE MILE NORTH OF HIGHWAY 223 AND APPROXIMATELY 120 YARDS FROM INTERSTATE 5. THERE WAS DEBRIS FROM THE AIRCRAFT LOCATED FROM 1/2 TO 3/4 OF A MILE FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE SITE. THE MAIN WRECKAGE HAD BOTH HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS, ELEVATORS AND WINGS MISSING. SOME OF THESE ASSEMBLIES WERE FOUND INTACT WHILE OTHER CONTROL SURFACES WERE TORN APART. ## 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 LAX98FA154](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98FA154), May 5, 1998: Mooney M20K (N231BY), Bakersfield, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's operation of the airplane at a speed well in excess of it's designed never exceed speed that resulted in elevator flutter and in-flight failure of the airplane. Turbulence and icing… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.