# NTSB WPR26FA198: Mooney M20J, N4452H, Woodlake, CA, May 23, 2026 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Field · Preliminary report - Date: May 23, 2026, 10:34 local (17:34 UTC) - Place: Woodlake, CA - Coordinates: 36.399411, -119.11846 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.3994&lon=-119.1185&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering: Aerodynamic stall/spin](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Investigation ongoing - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 203043 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR26FA198 - NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/203043/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26FA198 ## Preliminary report On May 23, 2026, about 1034 Pacific daylight time, a Mooney M20J, N4452H, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Woodlake, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 91 personal flight. According to an acquaintance of the pilot who met him at the airport, the pilot and a friend flew into the airport in a different airplane. The pilot was there to ferry the airplane to his home airport after it had undergone maintenance. After refueling his airplane, the pilot departed and immediately returned and landed. The pilot reported to his acquaintance and his friend that one of the cylinders was running hotter than the other three by about 100°F. He also remarked to both parties that he had leaned the fuel during the first flight and would try running the engine at full rich during his next flight. The pilot started the engine and departed a second time and the pilot’s friend subsequently departed the airport. While about 1,000 ft above ground level, the friend observed the Mooney at a very low altitude. He then witnessed the Mooney bank sharply to the right, which was followed by an abrupt left turn and sparks before the airplane impacted the ground. A witness, who was leaving a self-storage facility, observed the airplane travelling west towards the airport. The witness stated that the airplane was at a low altitude, similar to a crop duster, when it turned right, climbed and then flipped over and went straight down. The witness drove to the accident site and saw a postaccident fire. The airplane came to rest upright in a ditch that was between an asphalt street and an orchard. The airplane was on a heading of about 212° magnetic at an elevation of about 531 ft mean sea level (msl). The first point of probable impact (FPPI) was about 40 ft from the main wreckage, in the middle of the street where the propeller spinner was located and flattened. A debris path with shards of acrylic and small bits of sheet metal extended from the FPPI to the main wreckage. A postaccident fire destroyed most of the fuselage and wings. The empennage was also thermally damaged. The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examinations. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering: Aerodynamic stall/spin](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241) (defining event); cases with it: [Mooney M20J, 11 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241/sequence.md?model=5870219), [All aircraft, 1,529 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241/sequence.md) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4452H](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4452H), registered now, S/N 24-0738, built 1978 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: MOONEY M20J - Registry model: [Mooney M20J](https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20j) (registry code 5870219) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming I0360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (registry code 41515, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 24-0738 - Year built: 1978 - Damage: Destroyed - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Destination: APV, Apple Valley, CA - Airport: O42, Woodlake, runway 07/25, 2,203 × 50 ft, asphalt - Equipment: Unknown ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 200° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 72 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 29.89 inHg - Observed at: KVIS, 14 nm away - METAR: METAR KVIS 231656Z AUTO 20003KT 10SM CLR 22/11 A2989 RMK AO2 SLP120 T02220106 $ ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20260523006839A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260523006839A), May 23, 2026: Mooney M20J, Woodlake, CA, Destroyed, 1 fatal. The aircraft had been stationed at Woodlake Airport undergoing extensive airframe repairs and an engine inspection following a gear-up landing and… ## Other investigations on N4452H (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB MKC81FCD17](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MKC81FCD17), Apr 23, 1981: Mooney M20J (N4452H), Norwalk, IA, substantial damage From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.