- Date
- April 15, 1984, 23:27 local (Apr 16, 1984, 05:27 UTC)
- Place
- Gary, IN
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7899VMooney M20C
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840415013649A
- Case key
- 12393
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
VFR plt received 2 wx briefings, filed an IFR flt plan and departed in night IFR conditions. Aprx 1 min after contacting chicago ARTCC plt reported he was having 'problems.' Aprx 1 min later plt reported, 'nine nine victor, I'm breaking up.' Acft wreckage was found next day. According to plt's wife and an assoc, the plt had flown IFR before. Annual inspection of acft was completed on 4/9/84. Post accident investigation disclosed a crack in the pitot tube line.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7899V
- Reported as
- Mooney M20C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20C2861
- Airframe hours
- 2,148
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Earie D. Patterson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 18, 1983 · 90 hours before
- Destination
- LUK · Cincinnati, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- GYY · Gary Muni.
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,188 total · 76 in this make and model · 69 in the last 90 days · 29 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 30° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MDW, 17 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.