# Accident 20000109005729A: Mooney M20M, Mount Pleasant, SC, January 9, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 9, 2000, 19:00 local time
- Place: Mount Pleasant, SC
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.8194° N, 79.8603° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.8194&lon=-79.8603&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2135X, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2135X-2001-07-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20M (registry code 5870222, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20m) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20M
- Reported engine: LYC TIO540AF1B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 537 total, 316 in this make and model, 14 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA00FA066](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA00FA066) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000109005729A

## Narrative

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

(.4) THE PILOT WAS CLEARED FOR A NIGHT INSTRUMENT APPROACH IN INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS. A WITNESS WHO WAS WAITING FOR THE PILOT AT THE AIRPORT HEARD THE AIRPLANE FLY OVER THE AIRPORT FLYING TOWARDS A RESIDENTIAL AREA, BUT COULD NOT SEE THE AIRPLANE DUE TO FOG. WITNESSES IN THE RESIDENTIAL AREA OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE DESCEND OUT OF THE FOG, PULL UP ABOUT 40-DEGREES, AND REENTER THE FOG IN A STEEP LEFT BANK WITH SLOW AIRSPEED. THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED DESCENDING OUT OF THE FOG IN A 70-DEGREE LEFT BANK. AN INCREASE IN ENGINE POWER WAS HEARD, THE AIRPLANE DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW AND WAS HEARD TO IMPACT WATER AND A MARSHY AREA. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME, FLIGHT CONTROLS, ENGINE ASSEMBLY AND ACCESSORIES REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PRECRASH MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. TOXICOLOGY RESULTS REVEALED THE PILOT WAS IMPAIRED DUE TO DRUGS.                                                            (-23)NO NARRATIVE

## 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 MIA00FA066](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA00FA066), Jan 10, 2000: Mooney M20M (N2135X), Mount Pleasant, SC, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed (VSO) while maneuv ering on a night instrument approach in instrument conditions. This resulted in an inadvertent in-flight loss of control (stall/spin), and…

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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