- Date
- December 28, 1990, 17:39 local (23:39 UTC)
- Place
- Pensacola, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6600UMooney M20C
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901228056399A
- Case key
- 32740
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 use carburetor heat resulting in loss of engine power due to carburetor ice. A factor in the accident was the pilot's medical condition.
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
Flt was clrd for ILS apch. About 10 mi from rwy plt reported his glideslope was not working. Flt was then cleared for asr radar apch. At 1.5 miles from rwy flt was lost from radar. Witnesses reported acft flew overhead at tree top level without the eng running. Acft hit trees and then crashed into gnd inverted. Propeller had no rotation damage. No evidence to indicate precrash malfunction of engine was noted. The mixture control was in the cruise lean position and the carburetor heat was in the cold position. No inst apch plates were found open in the cockpit. The flt was operating in conditions which would cause visible carb ice at cruise power and serious carb ice at glide power. Post mortem examination of the plt indicated he suffered from mild cerebral atrophy and hypertensive arteriosclerotic heart disease. The plt was prescribed hypertensive medication but was not taking it at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6600U
- Reported as
- Mooney M20C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2387
- Airframe hours
- 2,252
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A10, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cox, Fritz L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 17, 1990 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- UBS · Columbus, MS
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- Pensacola Regional, runway 16, 7,002 × 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
- 71
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,700 total · 1,800 in this make and model · 2,300 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 100° at 6 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PNS, 2 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 N6600U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.