# Accident 20071120830089A: Mooney M20K, Johnson City, NY, November 20, 2007

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 20, 2007, 16:59 local time
- Place: Johnson City, NY
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.2289° N, 75.9789° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.2289&lon=-75.9789&mi=10
- Aircraft: N252DD, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N252DD-2008-04-14) (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
- Reported engine: CONT TSIO360*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 1,500 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC08FA039](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC08FA039) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20071120830089A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON NOVEMBER 20, 2007 AT 2159 GMT, A MOONEY, M20K, N252DD, CRASHED AFTER TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 34 AT THE GREATER BINGHAMTON AIRPORT, BINGHAMTON, NY (KBGM)WITH AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN TO KALB. THE CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE IMC, FOG AND THE VISIBILITY REPORTED AT LESS THAN 100 FEET AND ONE-QUARTER STATUTE MILE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ABOUT THREE QUARTER MILES AT THE END OF RUNWAY 34 IN A WOODED AREA. THE PILOT WAS THE ONLY PERSON ONBOARD AND FATALLY INJURED. ON NOVEMBER 21, 2007, INSPECTORS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ RESPONDED TO THE SCENE. THE REMAINS OF THE PILOT HAVE BEEN REMOVED. DUE TO THE IMPACT FORCES OF THE CRASH, THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO HAVE FIRST IMPACTED A TREE UPON ENTERING THE WOODS AS INDICATED BY A BROKEN BRANCH. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AT THE TIME OF IMPACT AS EVIDENCED BY PROPELLER SCARRING ON A TREE. PIECES OF CONTROL SURFACE SHEET METAL, ENGINE COWL, RIGHT WING PIECES, AND BELLY SUMP WERE DISCOVERED AS WE WALKED THE DEBRIS PATH. THE BULK OF THE WRECKAGE CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 45 FEET FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT. THE FOLLOWING WAS DISCOVERED WHILE WALKING THE DEBRIS PATH: LEFT & RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, VERTICAL STABILIZER, RUDDER, AND THE LEFT WING IN AN INVERTED POSITION. CLOSE TO THE MAIN WRECKAGE WERE THE PROPELLER, ELECTRIC TRIM MOTOR, LEFT FLAP, LEFT WING ROOT, LEFT WING TIP, MAIN GEAR TIRES, AND AFT FUSELAGE. DUE TO THE CRUMPLED AND BURNED STATE OF THE AIRCRAFT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE COCKPIT. THE PILOT'S BODY WAS LOCATED FORWARD OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THERE WAS BIOHAZARD IN WHICH INSPECTORS TOOK THE APPROPRIATE PRECAUTIONS. THE PILOT'S PERSONAL EFFECTS WERE GATHERED AND RETAINED FOR THE INVESTIGATION. BROOME COUNTY DEPUTIES PHOTOGRAPHED, AND ELECTRONICALLY SITE MAPPED THE WRECKAGE. THE TOX BOX WAS GIVEN TO THE CORONER BY THE NTSB INVESTIGATOR. PICTURES AND DOCUMENTATION WERE TAKEN BY ALL PARTIES INVESTIGATING THE SCENE. A CONTINENTAL ENGINE INVESTIGATOR ARRIVED ON FRIDAY, 11/23/2007. THE NTSB WOULD BE PRESENT FOR THE ENGINE TEAR DOWN. ON NOVEMBER 27, 2007, A PHONE CONVERSATION WITH THE NTSB INVESTIGATOR STATED THE RESULT OF THE ENGINE INVESTIGATION WAS THAT IT WAS FULLY FUNCTIONAL. THE PILOT HAD A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE AND WAS RATED FOR AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND AND INSTRUMENT. NO VIOLATIONS ON RECORD. THIS ACCIDENT REPORT IS CLOSED.

## 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 NYC08FA039](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC08FA039), Nov 20, 2007: Mooney M20K (N252DD), Maine, NY, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's spatial disorientation, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent 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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