- Date
- January 10, 1982, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Henderson, NC
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3688NMooney M20G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 10, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820110000449A
- Case key
- 71009
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot and his wife were at 6000 ft on a VFR cross-country when he became unconscious. The aircraft was equipped with a wing leveler and continued in level flight while the pilot's wife attended to him. When the pilot's wife could do nothing more for him, she removed his glasses, which had the microphone and earphone attached, and put them on. She called for help, but was unable to receive a reply. She stated that the earphone did not fit her ear and the glasses were too wide. She was not a pilot, but she managed to control the aircraft while she looked for an airport. After a while, she elected to land in a field. However, the engine stopped running and the aircraft struck a tree short of the intended landing area. The fuel selector was found positioned to an empty tank. The other tank still contained fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3688N
- Reported as
- Mooney M20G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 680037
- Airframe hours
- 2,651
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Chesapeake Storage Corporation
- Registered owner
- Chesapeake Storage Corporation
- Departed
- RWI · Rocky Mount, NC
- Destination
- TBR · Statesboro, GA
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 3,828 total · 20 in this make and model · 3,447 as pilot in command · 56 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 37 statute miles
- Temperature
- 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RDU, 37 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.