- Date
- February 20, 1988, 00:30 local (05:30 UTC)
- Place
- Morristown, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5782EMooney M20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880220070109A
- Case key
- 36101
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
The Mooney crashed while on a ILS approach at night. The plt had been unable to get into two other airports due to weather and air traffic. The aircraft impacted in swampy area. The pilot had told ATC that he felt uneasy about his engine; however, he did not remember the conversation after the accident. The pilot told FAA pers that he had not been feeling well, but no mention was made of the aircraft engine. The FAA said that it appeared that the descent rate was 5 degrees. The descent rate on the ILS is 3 degrees. The acft hit the ground with sufficent force to dislodge and throw the eng about 175 ft forward of the main wreckage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5782E
- Reported as
- Mooney M20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1515
- Airframe hours
- 500
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Howard Balick
- Registered owner
- Dr. William Miller
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 5, 1988 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- 3N6 · Old Bridge, NJ
- Destination
- MMU · Morristown, NJ
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MMU · Morristown, runway 23, 6,000 × 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 50 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EWR, 12 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.