# Accident 20040523011259A: Mooney M20J, Oxford, CT, May 23, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 23, 2004, 21:10 local time
- Place: Oxford, CT
- Airport: Waterbury-Oxford
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach-IFR
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.4622° N, 73.1278° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.4622&lon=-73.1278&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5763W, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5763W-2013-06-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20J (registry code 5870219, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20j) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-360 series (registry code 17025, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20J
- Reported engine: LYC IO360LYC*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 455 total, 200 in this make and model, 46 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC04FA127](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC04FA127) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040523011259A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON MAY 23, 2004 AT 21:10, REGISTERED AIRCRAFT N5763W, A MOONEY M20J, PILOTED BY BRUCE ALSPACH WAS ON A IFR LANDING APPROACH TO WATERBURY-OXFORD AIRPORT RUNWAY 36. THE AIRCRAFT WAS .6 MILES FROM THE RUNWAY AND APPROXIMATELY 1000 FEET EAST OF THE MIDDLE NAVIGATION MARKER WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH BRANCHES OF A TALL OAK TREE AND DESCENDED TO TOP OFF AN EVERGREEN. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED ITS RAPID DESCENT AND CRASHED INTO AN OPEN FIELD BETWEEN RESIDENTIAL HOMES AT 58 JACKS HILL ROAD, OXFORD CT. A DEBRIS PATH ALONG A HEADING OF 80 DEGREES WAS PRESENT, WITH GROUND IMPRESSIONS MADE BY THE AIRCRAFT FOR ABOUT 80FT IN LENGTH UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN AN INVERTED POSITION WITH THE NOSE, FUSELAGE AND EMPENNAGE POINTING EAST AT 090. AN EIGHT FOOT SECTION OF THE RIGHT WING REMAINED IN THE CROWN AREA OF THE OAK TREE, THE LEFT WING SEPARATED AT THE ROOT AND LAY ALONG SIDE THE FUSELAGE. THE CABIN AND COCKPIT WERE CRUSHED INWARD, THE ENGINE REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE, THE EMPENNAGE HAD SEPARATED AND RESTED ADJACENT TO THE FUSELAGE. ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR.

## 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 NYC04FA127](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC04FA127), May 24, 2004: Mooney M20J (N5763W), Oxford, CT, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance during an instrument approach, which resulted in a collision with trees prior to the runway. Factors were nighttime conditions and cloud cover.

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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