- Date
- June 10, 1990, 22:45 local (Jun 11, 1990, 02:45 UTC)
- Place
- Andrews, NC
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N201SEMooney M20J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900610019849A
- Case key
- 8135
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain proper altitude/clearance over high terrain. Darkness and high terrain were related factors.
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 acft was on a night flt from Andrews, NC, to americus, GA. When the acft did not arrive, a search was initiated. On 6/12/90, the acft was found where it had crashed on the se ridge of a mountain about 4 mi wnw of the departure arpt. Impact occurred at an elev of about 3100' as the acft was on a westerly heading. Initial impact was with a tree about 250' from where the main wreckage came to rest. No preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure of the acft was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N201SE
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-0295
- Airframe hours
- 1,148
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert Lee Pilcher Jr.
- Departed
- 6A3 · Andrews, NC
- Destination
- Americus, GA
- Airport
- 6A3 · Andrews/Murphy
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,064 total · 585 in this make and model · 970 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TYS, 45 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.