# Accident 20101222055989A: Mooney M20R, Barrington, NY, December 22, 2010 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: December 22, 2010, 19:36 local time - Place: Barrington, NY - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Landing: Approach - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 42.5211° N, 77.0356° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.5211&lon=-77.0356&mi=10 - Aircraft: N968SM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N968SM-2018-01-17) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Mooney M20R (registry code 5870225, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20r) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental IO-550 series (registry code 17042, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-550-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: MOONEY M20R - Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IO-550 SERIES - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - Pilot flight hours: 2,771 total, 53 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA11FA095](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA11FA095) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20101222055989A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON DECEMBER 22, 2010, AT APPROXIMATELY 2145 LOCAL TIME, FAA INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ARRIVED AT THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT INVOLVING A MOONEY M20 AIRCRAFT BEARING REGISTRATION N968SM. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TERRAIN IN A WOODED AREA JUST OFF A LOGGING TRAIL, WITH A DEBRIS PATH APPROXIMATELY 150 TO 200 FT IN LENGTH. BOTH WINGS WERE SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE FUSELAGE WAS DESTROYED BUT PRIMARILY INTACT AND STILL CONNECTED TO THE EMPENNAGE. THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 110 DEGREES CLOCKWISE ROTATION FROM THE ANGLE OF THE DEBRIS PATH. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF SOME FIRE ALONG THE DEBRIS PATH WHERE THE WINGS CAME TO REST, HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE DAMAGE TO THE FUSELAGE SECTION. THE INTEGRITY OF THE FUEL TANKS WAS COMPROMISED AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL OR SMELL OF FUEL AT THE SCENE. THE ENGINE CAME TO REST AGAINST A MATURE BLACK WALNUT TREE BETWEEN THE LOCATION OF THE WINGS AND THE FUSELAGE.THE PROPELLER WAS STILL CONNECTED TO THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE AND PROPELLER WERE ROTATED 180 DEGREES FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE DEBRIS PATH. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND ACCESSORIES ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE COMPONENTS WERE STILL ATTACHED TO THE ENGINE ITSELF. THE PROPELLER WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED EXHIBITING "S" CURVE BENDING AWAY FROM THE PROPELLER HUB, LEADING EDGE SCORING AND CORD WISE STRIATIONS.THE BODY OF THE PILOT (SOLE OCCUPANT) HAD BEEN REMOVED BY THE MEDICAL EXAMINER JUST PRIOR TO THIS INSPECTOR ARRIVING ON SCENE. ACCORDING TO FIRST RESPONDERS THE PILOT HAD BEEN FOUND NEXT TO THE COCKPIT STILL IN THE AIRCRAFT SEAT. THIS INSPECTOR WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE IF THE SAFETY BELT OR HARNESS WAS STILL INTACT. A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF CHARTS AND PAPERS WERE DISCOVERED IN THE COCKPIT AREA, ALONG WITH A KNEEBOARD AND LAPTOP CASE. THESE ITEMS WERE COLLECTED AND TAKEN TO THE ROCHESTER FAA FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE AND PROVIDED TO THE FAA IIC. AN EXAMINATION OF THE BASE OF THE COM ANTENNA LOCATED ON THE TOP OF THE FUSELAGE YIELDED EVIDENCE OF IN-FLIGHT ICE ACCUMULATION. ADDITIONALLY, ICE WAS DISCOVERED ON THE IN-BOARD TWO-THIRDS OF THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, AFT OF THE LEADING EDGE. ALTHOUGH BOTH THE AREAS OF ICING WERE SLIGHTLY CONTAMINATED WITH DIRT, THE APPEARANCE AND CONSISTENCY OF THE ICE RESEMBLED THE "MIXED" TYPE.A PANEL WAS REMOVED FROM THE LEFT EMPENNAGE IN AN ATTEMPT TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE EMERGENCY LOCATOR TRANSMITTER (ELT). THE SWITCH ON THE UNIT WAS IN THE "ARMED" POSITION, AND THE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. HOWEVER, TO DISARM AND REMOVE THE UNIT FROM THE AIRCRAFT IT WAS NECESSARY TO PENETRATE THE EMPENNAGE USING A CRASH AXE. THE UNIT WAS THEN DISARMED, REMOVED AND TAKEN TO THE ROCHESTER FSDO AND TURNED OVER TO THE FAA IIC. THE ELT WAS AN AMERI-KING CORP MODEL AK-450 TRANSMITTING ON 121.5 / 243.0 MHZ. ## 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 ERA11FA095](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA11FA095), Dec 23, 2010: Mooney M20R (N968SM), Dundee, NY, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's decision to operate in known moderate-to-severe icing conditions, which resulted in a loss of control during approach. ## Other reports on N968SM (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20100507004959I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100507004959I), May 7, 2010: Mooney M20R (N968SM), Fairfield, NJ, Minor damage. After an uneventful approach to runway 22 at kcdw airport the aircraft veerd to the left and onto the grass north of taxiway bravo just pass the 3000 ft… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.