On February 17, 2006, a Mooney M20F (registration N9704M) was involved in an aviation accident near Willits, CA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain visual contact with the runway at night, which resulted in a descent below the proper glide path and a collision with a tree. Also causal was the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a night flight, a pilot who was not night-current and had hired a CFI for assistance inadvertently entered ground fog on short final, lost visual contact with the runway, and the airplane struck a tree with the right wing despite the CFI's application of full power.
Incident Overview
The accident occurred during a night flight when the pilot, who was not current for night operations, had hired a certified flight instructor (CFI) to assist with the flight. The pilot activated the pilot-controlled medium intensity runway edge lights using the common traffic advisory frequency.
Final Approach
While on final approach, the airplane inadvertently entered an area of low-lying ground fog. The pilot lost visual contact with the runway as a result. The airplane descended too low, and the CFI applied full power in an attempt to arrest the descent. However, the right wing of the airplane impacted a tree.
Sequence of Events
The airplane had been on short final when it entered the fog bank. The loss of visual reference to the runway led to an insufficient altitude. Despite the CFI's corrective action, the collision with the tree occurred.