- Date
- April 2, 1990, 22:46 local (Apr 3, 1990, 04:46 UTC)
- Place
- Bethany, OK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3514XMooney M20F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900402007989A
- Case key
- 22953
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
Loss of control in flight when the pilot stalled and spun the airplane inadvertently while turning to the base leg. A factor was lack of night flying time.
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
During a night VFR approach to the airport, witnesses saw the airplane start a turn to base leg and then spin into the ground. The airplane was demolished by impact and the private pilot received fatal injuries. The flight had originated in chester, SC on the day of the accident. The pilot had received his pilot's license on March 24, 1990, had flown the airplane to south carolina on March 28, 1990, and was on his way back to Arizona to visit his sick father. The pilot's total flying time was 106 hours, of which 6.7 hours had been flown at night.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3514X
- Reported as
- Mooney M20F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 670052
- Airframe hours
- 3,013
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-AIA, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Nicholson, David Robert
- Registered owner
- Nicholson Enterprises Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 21, 1989 · 121 hours before
- Departed
- 3WE · St. Louis, MO
- Destination
- PWA · Oklahoma City, OK
- Airport
- PWA · Wiley Post, runway 35, 7,198 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 106 total · 26 in this make and model · 54 as pilot in command · 66 in the last 90 days · 47 in the last 30 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 340° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PWA, 1 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.