- Date
- November 24, 1992, 04:25 local (09:25 UTC)
- Place
- Darien, GA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6742UMooney M20D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921124051059A
- Case key
- 8705
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
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Factors were fog and the pilot's failure to use available en route weather sources.
Analysis
A pre-flight weather briefing was obtained by the pilot which contained precautions regarding coastal fog. No record was found that any subsequent requests for weather information was made, by the pilot, until terminal weather was sought via AWOS. Visibility was listed as one half mile, with partial obscuration & a 100 foot ceiling. A VOR approach was attempted. After a missed approach, an ILS approach was attempted at an airport previously overflown. A missed approach again occurred. En route to requested VFR conditions, the fuel was exhausted. A landing was made in the median of an interstate highway.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6742U
- Reported as
- Mooney M20D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 168
- Airframe hours
- 6,603
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jones, Douglas D.
- Registered owner
- N6742u, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 7, 1991
- Departed
- TUP · Tupelo, MS
- Destination
- 49J · Hilton Head Is., SC
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 440 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SSI, 15 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.