# Accident 19980622014619A: Mooney M20E, Pickens, SC, June 22, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 22, 1998, 11:00 local time
- Place: Pickens, SC
- Airport: Pickens County Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.8792° N, 82.6996° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.8792&lon=-82.6996&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2709W, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2709W-2000-05-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20E (registry code 5870212, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20e) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20E
- Reported engine: LYC IO360A1A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 116 total, 31 in this make and model, 23 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA98FA187](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98FA187) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980622014619A

## Narrative

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

PILOT REPORTED HAVING ENG PROBLEMS AND WAS RETURNING TO ARPT. ATTEMPTED TO MAKE EMER LANDING IN A OPEN FIELD. (.4) WHILE IN RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WITH FAA GREENVILLE/SPARTANBURG'S DEPARTURE CONTROL, CLIMBING THROUGH 7,900 FEET MSL, TO AN ASSIGNED ALTITUDE OF 9,500 FEET MSL, ABOUT 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE GREENVILLE/SPARTANBURG AIRPORT, THE PILOT RADIOED THAT SHE HAD A VERY ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE AND WANTED VECTORS TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT. THE CONTROLLER SUPPLIED VECTORS TO WITHIN 7 MILES OF THE NEAREST AIRPORT, AT WHICH TIME THE PILOT CHOSE A FARMERS FIELD FOR A FORCED LANDING. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TWO PINE TREES WITHIN A STAND OF PINES ABOUT 40 FEET ABOVE GROUND, IN A RELATIVELY FLAT, WINGS LEVEL, UPRIGHT ATTITUDE. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED AIRBORNE FOR ABOUT 310 FEET OVER A RELATIVELY CLEAR FIELD AND THEN IMPACT DENSE BRUSH AND 8- TO 12-FOOT TREES IN AN INVERTED ATTITUDE.  SUBSEQUENT DISASSEMBLY AND EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE AND ITS ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS REVEALED NO CAUSE FOR THE ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE.  A FINDING OF 0.056 UG/ML (UG/G) DIPHENHYDRAMINE (ANTIHISTAMINE) WAS REPORTED IN THE TOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE PILOT'S BLOOD AND URINE.                                     (-23) ON 06/22/98 AT 1100 LOCAL TIME, N2709W, A MOONEY M-20E, HIT THE TOPS OF TWO PINE TREES AND CRASHED INVERTED INTO A WOODED AREA. THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN AN ADJACENT FIELD AFTER REPORTING ENGINE FAILURE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS KILLED. TWO TEENAGE PASSENGERS SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT 7A1 FOR MOORESTOWN, TN. THE REPORTED ENGINE FAILURE WAS ABOUT 20-30 MINUTES AFTER DEPARTURE.

## 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 MIA98FA187](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98FA187), Jun 22, 1998: Mooney M-20E (N2709W), Pickens, SC, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons and the pilot not maintaining adequate clearance with objects (trees) during the emergency landing. Contributing factors were the pilot's impairment…

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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