- Date
- May 28, 1988, 16:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Jamestown, CO
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5279BMooney M20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 17372
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The plt told a friend that he was going to conduct a sightseeing flt in the local area. Residents of a small town 2 miles from the acdt site said the acft circled the town at low alt several times at about the time of the accident. There were no witnesses to the acdt. The sar satelite picked up the ELT sig at 2125 and the wreckage was found by a ground party during the night, at 0150. A glider plt, who flew thru the area at about the time the witnesses reported seeing the acft, also saw an acft maneuvering at low alt near the town. He said the outside air temp was 70 to 75 deg f and there were downdrafts, 500 to 1,000 fpm in the area. The density alt at the acdt site was calculated to be about 11,000 ft and there were 3 persons on board the acft. The terrain at the acdt site is rough and mountainous with sharply rising terrain to the n,w, and s. four 5 gal drums were found at the acdt site and a placard for auto fuel was found on the panel. No STC was issued for this acft.
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
- N5279B
- Reported as
- Mooney M20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1142
- Airframe hours
- 2,970
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Brown, Rory Lee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 6, 1988 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- 1V5 · Boulder, CO
- Destination
- IV5
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--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 776 total · 715 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 14,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BJC, 18 nm away
Other investigations on N5279B · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.