- Date
- October 7, 2005, 16:08 local (20:08 UTC)
- Place
- Ithaca, NY
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1163AMooney M20K
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20051007032009A
- Case key
- 62627
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 comply with the published instrument approach procedure, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees.
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
While on a VOR approach, the pilot reported to the control tower that he was 3.5 miles from the airport. Shortly thereafter, the pilot saw the tops of trees about 50 feet in front of the airplane. Without sufficient time to arrest the descent, the airplane impacted trees and the ground resulting in substantial damage. The pilot additionally stated, "I can not really explain why I let the airplane descend too low. I felt comfortable with the approach throughout. I simply was too low, too far away from [the] airport."
Factual narrative
"This report is based on information received by the NTSB. Additional details may be found in the NTSB's public docket for this case. For further information, please contact the NTSB Office of Public Inquiries."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1163A
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0666
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 44N · Millbrook, NY
- Destination
- ITH · Ithaca, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ITH · Ithaca Regional Airport, runway 14
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 4,038 total · 427 in this make and model · 34 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.