# Accident 20051007032009A: Mooney M20K, Ithaca, NY, October 7, 2005

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 7, 2005, 16:08 local time
- Place: Ithaca, NY
- Airport: Tompkins County
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.5358° N, 76.5236° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.5358&lon=-76.5236&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1163A, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N1163A) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20K (registry code 5870220, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20k) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental TSIO-360 series (registry code 17019, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20K
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 4,038 total, 427 in this make and model, 33 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC06CA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC06CA006) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20051007032009A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON OCTOBER 7, 2005 AT ABOUT 1600 LOCAL TIME, APPROXIMATELY 3.6 MILES NORTHWEST OF RUNWAY 14 AT THE ITHACA AIRPORT, A MOONEY AIRPLANE N1163A COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN WITH SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA ^ WAS THE SOLE PERSON ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DAT^ WAS INTERVIEWED BY INSPECTOR ^PRIVA^ AND STATED THAT HE WAS TALKING TO THE ITHACA AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER. HE WAS ON A VOR APPROACH TO RUNWAY 14 ABOUT 3.6 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT, HE WAS CLEARED TO LAND WHEN HE BECAME CONFUSED. HE STATED THAT THE VISIBILITY WAS REPORTED AT 1.5 MILES BUT IT WAS MUCH LESS THAN 1.5 MILES. HE CONTINUED HIS DESCENDING FLIGHT AND THE NEXT THING HE WAS INTO THE TREES AND THEN HIT THE GROUND. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DAT^ WAS TREATED AND RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL. THE FOLLOWING OBSERVATIONS WERE NOTED AT THE SCENE: 1. THE PILOT WAS INJURED, TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AND WAS RELEASED. 2. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. 3. THE AIRPLANE CRASH LANDED IN BETWEEN TWO HOMES ABOUT 1.5 MILES NW OF RUNWAY 14. 4. THE PROPELLER WAS DAMAGED. 5. THE AIRPLANE HAD FUEL AND THE FUEL LINE FEEDING THE FLOW DIVIDER HAD FUEL. 6. THE IGNITION SYSTEM WAS CHECKED AND WAS FOUND TO BE NORMAL. 7. THECOMPRESSION TEST OF ALL 6 CYLINDERS WAS NORMAL. 8. THE WEATHER REPORT FROM NOAA FOR THE TIME OF 1600. 9. THE AIRCRAFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH GNS-530 AND A GARMIN GA-56 GPS. 10. THE TRANSPONDER WAS SET TO 1054.

## 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 NYC06CA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC06CA006), Oct 7, 2005: Mooney M20K (N1163A), Ithaca, NY, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to comply with the published instrument approach procedure, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees.

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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