- Date
- January 9, 1983, 16:10 local (22:10 UTC)
- Place
- Cushing, OK
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7778MMooney M20E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830109000529A
- Case key
- 20694
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
The acft collided with a powerline during a low flt down a river. The acft impacted 3 high tension cables spanning the river. Witnesses said the acft was flying low and fast. The collision produced a sound 'like a gunshot' and the acft fell to the ground and bounced. It spun around and ending up facing in a direction opposite to the flt. The wreckage came to rest on a sandbar in the river bed with a strand of cable around the propeller. Both occupants received fatal injuries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7778M
- Reported as
- Mooney M20E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21-0033
- Airframe hours
- 1,104
- Engine
- Lycoming IO 360 A1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert L. Choate
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 5, 1983 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- Cushing, OK
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
- 31
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,650 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.