- Date
- October 27, 1985, 19:18 local (Oct 28, 1985, 00:18 UTC)
- Place
- Meridian, MS
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5959QMooney M20E
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851027054189A
- Case key
- 7027
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 non-instrument rated pilot received a weather briefing before take-off and was advised that VFR flight was not recommended for a flight to chattanooga, TN. The pilot was unable to maintain VFR conditions and attempted a precision approach. While being vectored for the approach the pilot became disoriented and crashed 4 miles short of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5959Q
- Reported as
- Mooney M20E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 841
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A386, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jesse D. Farr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PFN · Panama City, FL
- Destination
- CHA · Chattanooga, TN
- Airport
- NMM · Mccain Fld
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 30° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MEI, 4 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.