- Date
- May 26, 1992, 22:23 local (May 27, 1992, 02:23 UTC)
- Place
- Johnstown, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9541MMooney M20F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920526016419A
- Case key
- 11798
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 pilot misjudged altitude and distance which resulted in a landing undershood. Contributing to the accident was night conditions.
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 pilot turned onto final approach for a landing after completing a VFR night cross country. The pilot stated that the landing gear was lowered and full flaps were selected. The pilot further stated that his airspeed 'dropped to 80 knots' while he was about 100 feet above the ground, at which time he added more power to 'keep my nose up'. The aircraft impacted terrain approximately 200 feet short of the runway threshold.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9541M
- Reported as
- Mooney M20F
- Category
- Airplane
- Airframe hours
- 2,984
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-AIA, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Joesph Benanto/John A. Pepe
- Registered owner
- Joseph Benanto
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 24, 1991 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- GTN · Groton, CT
- Airport
- NY27 · Johnstown Fulton Co, runway 1, 4,000 × 75 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
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 922 total · 436 in this make and model · 922 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SCH, 40 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.