- Date
- December 31, 1992, 12:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- So. Lake Tahoe, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9511MMooney M20F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921231052609A
- Case key
- 27900
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 failure to maintain directional control of the aircraft due to gusting cross winds and ice on the runway.
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 pilot said he departed from the airport and flew out over the lake in an attempt to climb above the clouds surrounding the lake basin. After ascertaining that the cloud tops were higher than forecast, the pilot returned to the airport and landed. The pilot said that after touchdown a sudden gust of wind from the right side began pushing the aircraft to the left. The pilot said he lost control of the aircraft after it encountered a patch of black ice on the runway. The aircraft veered off the runway and collided with a snow bank. A responding FAA inspector examined the aircraft and the runway and reported finding patches of black ice on the sides of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9511M
- Reported as
- Mooney M20F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 670088
- Airframe hours
- 2,860
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles Downing
- Registered owner
- Mccants, Frome, Downing
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 5, 1992 · 80 hours before
- Departed
- TVL
- Destination
- SNA · Santa Ana, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- TVL · South Lake Takhoe, runway 18, 8,544 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 114 total · 32 in this make and model · 76 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TVL, 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.