- Date
- April 15, 1989, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lynch, KY
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9252VMooney M20F
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890415009459A
- Case key
- 7888
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Continued VFR flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Factors related to the accident were: the adverse weather conditions, terrain, and the pilot's lack of instrument experience.
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
At 1507 CDT on 4/15/89, the acft depd aurora, IL, on a flt to florence, SC. When it did not arrive, a search was initiated. Five days later, it was found by surveyors on Lynch mtn at about the 3500' level. Impact occurred on a wooded hillside, parallel to a ridgeline. There was evidence that the acft was in level flt when it crashed. Witnesses in the area rprtd they had heard the sound of an acft eng at about 1900 EDT on 4/15/89. Fog, accompanied by drizzle, covered the top of the mtn at that time. An investigation revealed the plt had obtained 4 wx briefings before the flt. Each time, he was adzd that VFR flt was not recommended.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9252V
- Reported as
- Mooney M20F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 690069
- Airframe hours
- 1,595
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles W. Foley
- Registered owner
- Charles W Foley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 29, 1988
- Departed
- ARR · Aurora, IL
- Destination
- FLO · Florence, SC
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
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 219 total · 121 in this make and model · 155 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 3 knots
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TRI, 38 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.