- Date
- April 9, 1990, 20:40 local (Apr 10, 1990, 01:40 UTC)
- Place
- Inola, OK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N526LMooney M-20J
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900409007909A
- Case key
- 23017
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
The pilot's decision to conduct the flight into known adverse weather and his inability to maintain control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation. Factors were the dark night conditions and thunderstorms.
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 non-instrument rated pilot had just completed a night instrument flight lesson and elected to fly his airplane home. His flight instructor tried to get him to drive home but he said no, he could make it. The exact wx conditions he encountered could not be determined but the area was under a severe thunderstorm warning at the time. There were no records to show the pilot contacted any commercial or government weather service. The airplane was in a high speed, descending left turn, toward the direction of the departure airport, when it impacted a tree, a fence and fence post, a high voltage power line, and the ground. All of the wreckage was found along the wreckage path. No pre-impact problems could be found with the airplane, engine, or related components. The flight instructor said the airplane departed in VFR conditions. He also said that everything was operational on the airplane when they finished their instrument flight lesson.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N526L
- Reported as
- Mooney M-20J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1382
- Airframe hours
- 1,226
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert A. Johnston
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 2, 1990
- Departed
- TUL · Tulsa, OK
- Destination
- Wagoner, OK
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 354 total · 299 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TUL, 30 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.