- Date
- February 18, 1990, 11:26 local (19:26 UTC)
- Place
- Galt, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4093NMooney M20F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900218002259A
- Case key
- 26614
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 flew into instrument condition, because spatially disorientated and collided with terrain. Factor was foggy weather conditions.
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 received a weather briefing which indicated that VFR flying along his proposed southbound route of flight was not recommended. The pilot filed a VFR flight plan and departed. As the pilot flew southbound he was observed below the base of clouds which was at 500 feet AGL. Several minutes later the pilot encountered ground fog which reduced his visibility. A ground-based witness reported that his visibility at the crash site was 1/4 mile. The airplane collided with the ground in a nose low and right wing low attitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4093N
- Reported as
- Mooney M20F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 680173
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- T.R. Bennett & W.A. Schmidt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 2, 1989
- Departed
- SAC · Sacramento, CA
- Destination
- BFL · Bakersfield, CA
- 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 265 total · 84 in this make and model · 200 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Temperature
- 41 °F
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 N4093N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.