- Date
- September 23, 1990, 20:53 local (Sep 24, 1990, 02:53 UTC)
- Place
- San Ysidro, NM
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6054XMooney M20A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900923042179A
- Case key
- 23045
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain adequate terrain clearance during a night VFR flight. Darkness and mountainous terrain were related factors.
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 airplane was on a flight from carlsbad, CA, to santa fe, NM. When it was about 30 miles from the destination airport, the airplane impacted wooded mountainous terrain. Impact occurred at an elevation of about 9200 ft & about 200 ft below the crest of a ridge line. Lights of the city of sante fe should have been visible to the pilot from over the crest line. Impact heading was consistent with the route of flight. No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the aircraft was found. The pilot's last application for a medical certificate was denied on 10/31/89, when he did not provide all required information.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6054X
- Reported as
- Mooney M20A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1645
- Airframe hours
- 4,015
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- W.B. Powers
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 14, 1989 · 131 hours before
- Departed
- CRQ · Carlsbad, CA
- Destination
- SAF · Santa Fe, NM
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 255 total · 89 in this make and model · 25 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAF, 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.
Other investigations on N6054X · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.