# NTSB BFO94LA106: Mooney M20C, N6679U, Leesburg, VA, June 18, 1994 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 18, 1994, 05:28 local (09:28 UTC) - Place: Leesburg, VA - Location: 39.1028° N, 77.5545° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Leesburg, VA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.1028&lon=-77.5545&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report January 26, 1995 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 8937 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=BFO94LA106 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/8937/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/BFO94LA106 ## Probable cause THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE UNTIL THE PUBLISHED APPROACH FIX. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS PILOT FATIGUE, LOW CEILINGS, OBSCURATION, AND FOG. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, approach - faf/outer marker to threshold (ifr) - weather condition - fog (contributing factor) - minimum descent altitude - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - fatigue(lack of sleep), pilot in command (contributing factor) - weather condition - obscuration (contributing factor) - weather condition - low ceiling (contributing factor) - light condition - dark night - object - tree(s) ## Analysis THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES AFTER PASSING THE MIDDLE MARKER WHILE THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A NON-PRECISION INSTRUMENT LANDING AT NIGHT. THE REPORTED CEILING WAS 700 FEET AND THE VISIBILITY WAS REPORTED AS 1/2 MILE IN FOG. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DESCENDED BELOW THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE PREMATURELY. THE PILOT ALSO STATED THAT HIS JUDGEMENT WAS IMPAIRED DUE TO FATIGUE. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE REPORTED. ## Factual narrative On June 18, 1994, about 0528 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20C, N6679U, operated by the owner/pilot, impacted trees in Leesburg, Virginia, during an instrument approach. The airplane was substantially damaged. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was filed. The personal flight departed from Birmingham, Alabama, and was conducted under 14 CFR 91. The pilot stated that he began the flight about 1930 on the evening prior to the accident from Houston, Texas. He flew from Houston to Birmingham, Alabama. After refueling the airplane and obtaining a weather briefing, the pilot departed Birmingham at 0040 on the morning of the accident. As he approached the Leesburg Airport, the pilot obtained weather information from the Dulles International Airport Automated Terminal Information Service (ATIS), Washington, D.C. The pilot recalled that ATIS was reporting a ceiling of 1,100 feet above the ground (agl) and a partially obscured sky. The actual recorded ATIS six minutes after the accident reported a cloud ceiling of 700 feet agl, a partially obscured sky, and a visibility of 1/2 mile in fog. The pilot was vectored for the localizer approach to runway 17 at the Leesburg Airport by air traffic control (ATC). The distance measuring equipment (DME) was out of service at the time of the approach, and the pilot stated that he was aware of the outage from his original weather briefing in Houston prior to the flight. The published minimum descent altitude (MDA) and visibility for the approach (approach plate attached) without the use of DME is 1,020 feet mean sea level (636 feet agl) and one mile. The pilot began the approach and impacted trees. In a telephone interview one day after the accident, the pilot stated that after passing the middle marker, he "... went down too fast..." through the MDA after "... missing a step down fix." He then saw the tops of trees below him, and the right wing and right landing gear contacted the trees. In a written statement to the NTSB, the pilot further stated that he "...either reached the [1,000-foot] MDA prior to the 2.7 mile DME fix which put me in the trees or I descended below the MDA." Following the impact with the trees, the pilot "pulled up" and was able to perform a missed approach. He elected to keep the landing gear extended and declared an emergency with ATC at the Dulles International Airport. He then performed the instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 1R at Dulles and landed uneventfully. He did not report any malfunctions with the airplane during the flight. According to an FAA aviation safety inspector from Washington, D.C., the right wing, right landing gear, and left elevator sustained substantial damage. The pilot told the FAA inspector that he had been awake for about 24 hours prior to the accident, except for a 2 1/2 hour "nap" in his automobile. In a written statement to the NTSB, the pilot stated: "My judgement may have been adversely impacted by the fact that I didn't get a full days rest prior to the overnight flight." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6679U](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N6679U), registered now, S/N 2513 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: MOONEY M20C - Registry model: [Mooney M20C](https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20c) (registry code 5870208) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 2513 - Airframe hours: 4958 - Engines: LYCOMING O-360-A1D 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Kimbrough, Edward W. - Registered owner: Kimbrough, Edward W. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 10, 1994, 12 hours before - Departed: BHM, BIRMINGHAM, AL - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: JYO, Leesburg Municipal ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 51; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 3,101 total, 2,887 in this make and model, 3,037 as pilot in command, 13 in the last 90 days, 13 in the last 30 days, 10 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Night/dark - Wind: calm - Visibility: 0.5 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 700 ft - Temperature: 70 °F, dew point 70 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: IAD, 10 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19940618015549A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940618015549A), Jun 18, 1994: Mooney M20C, Leesburg, VA, Substantial damage. Impacted trees inside outer marker. Descended below mda too early. Blamed fatigue. ## Other investigations on N6679U (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB UNK65X1094](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/UNK65X1094), Dec 22, 1964: Mooney M21 (N6679U), Grinnell, IA, substantial damage From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.