- Date
- August 30, 1991, 20:28 local (Aug 31, 1991, 00:28 UTC)
- Place
- Nantucket, MA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N296THMooney M20J
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910830037599A
- Case key
- 37003
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 descent below the ILS glide path and his delay in initiating a missed approach which resulted in collision with the terrain.
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
Prior to departure, the pilot was advised that the weather was marginal at his destination and alternate airports. He was unable to land at his destination, so he diverted to another airport with known low ceiling and visibility. During the approach, he observed a 'full scale deflection in azimuth and a fly up indication on the glide slope needle.' He started a missed approach, but the airplane struck a hill at that time. The instrument approach was checked by the FAA and no discrepancies were found. Other plilots making the approach did not report any difficulties. The reported weather at the time was at minimums for that approach. The pilot had a total instrument flight time of 31 hours.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N296TH
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-3144
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas P. Heeney
- Registered owner
- Thomas P. Heeney
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- N88 · Doylestown, PA
- Destination
- MVY · Martha'S Vineyd, MA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ACK · Nantucket, runway 24, 6,303 × 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 604 total · 130 in this make and model · 540 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 250° at 10 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.