- Date
- January 15, 1989, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Malmo, MN
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4096HMooney M20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890115000529A
- Case key
- 34747
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 inadvertent VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which resulted in his loss of aircraft control, due spatial disorientation. A related factor to the accident was: the adverse weather 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
The non-instrument rated pilot inadvertently entered instrument flight conditions and experienced whiteout conditions. Subsequently, he lost control of the aircraft & it crashed on a frozen lake.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4096H
- Reported as
- Mooney M20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2500415
- Airframe hours
- 1,252
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jensen, Stephen
- Registered owner
- Stephen D Jensen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 23, 1988 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- FCM · Eden Prairie, MN
- Destination
- BRD · Brainard, MN
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 717 total · 200 in this make and model · 717 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 23 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BRD, 40 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.