- Date
- May 22, 1986, 20:15 local (May 23, 1986, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- West Milford, NJ
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N97299Mooney M20K
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860522026329A
- Case key
- 30188
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 an IFR flight the aircraft entered an area of thunderstorms, lost control of the aircraft and crashed. In an attempt to circumnavigate the storms the plt inadvertently entered a storm and collided with the ground in an uncontrolled descent. The plts last radio call indicated that he was unable to maintain altitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N97299
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0506
- Airframe hours
- 650
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-LB1B, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Arthur R. Teager
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 19, 1985
- Departed
- BED · Bedford, MA
- Destination
- MMU · Morristown, NJ
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,284 total · 1,102 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Wind
- 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SWF, 26 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.