- Date
- December 15, 1985, 17:20 local (22:20 UTC)
- Place
- Langhorne, PA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N231AMooney M20K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851215061959A
- Case key
- 6915
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
Acft collided with marked but unlighted transmission lines 670 ft fm rwy threshold. The lines are 81 ft above the threshold elevation and are marked but unlighted. They are also 1193 ft from the displaced threshold. The pilot did not have a current medical or pilot certificate. Insulin and chlorothiazide were found in the pilots personal effects witnesses did not recall seeing acft ldg lights displayed prior to the line collision although evidence of electrical availability was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N231A
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0645
- Airframe hours
- 1,566
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-GB, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jeffery M & Barbara Adelglass
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 26, 1985 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- ACY · Atlantic City, NJ
- Airport
- N54 · Buehl Field, runway 24, 3,125 × 49 ft, asphalt
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PNE, 8 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.