History of Flight
On May 29, 2009, at approximately 1345 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20D, registration N6628U, collided with mountainous terrain near Clintwood, Virginia. The private pilot was killed and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed, under visual flight rules. The flight originated at Elizabethton Municipal Airport (0A9), Elizabethton, Tennessee, at about 1311.
The pilot's wife reported that he departed from 0A9 en route to Ashland Regional Airport (DWU) in Ashland, Kentucky. When he did not arrive, she reported him missing.
A witness near the accident site observed the airplane flying north toward Pine Mountain. The witness noted heavy fog at the mountain top. He lost sight of the airplane but heard the engine sputter followed by a loud crash. He searched for smoke but saw none. The next day, he learned of a missing airplane and assisted authorities in locating the crash site.
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) incident commander reported that after notification, they mobilized search aircraft. Witnesses in the area reportedly saw the airplane descend in a circle to get below clouds before continuing north, passing in and out of clouds before disappearing. These witnesses were about 3 miles from where the airplane was found.
Radar data from the FAA showed the airplane departed 0A9 at 1311 with a 1200 transponder code. Radar tracked it along its route. About 32 minutes into the flight, the airplane entered a slow descending turn from 5,900 feet, reversed course, continued descending, then turned back to its original heading at 2,800 feet. It proceeded north until radar contact was lost.
Personnel Information
The 57-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for single-engine land and instrument airplane. His instrument rating was updated on April 13, 1984, with 22 hours of instrument instruction. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued August 28, 2007, with a limitation for corrective lenses for distant vision. He reported 900 total flight hours on his last medical application; however, his logbook was not available. An insurance application indicated 900 total hours, 500 retract time, 10 hours in make and model, and 66 hours in the last 12 months as of August 6, 2008, with no instrument time specified. His certified flight instructor stated the pilot completed a flight review satisfactorily on October 5, 2007.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a four-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear Mooney M20D, serial number 123, manufactured in 1963. It was powered by a Lycoming O-360 180-horsepower engine with a Hartzell three-bladed propeller. No aircraft logbooks were available. According to the airport manager at the airplane's base, the pilot performed his own maintenance and did not allow others to work on the airplane. No records were found from local fixed base operators or mechanics.
Meteorological Information
The 1355 weather observation at Lonesome Pine Airport, Wise, Virginia (17 nautical miles southeast of the accident site) reported winds from 290° at 6 knots, visibility 10 miles, ceiling 1,100 feet broken, 1,800 feet broken, 9,000 feet broken, temperature 19°C, dew point 18°C, and altimeter 29.93 inHg. No records existed of the pilot contacting flight service or using DUATS prior to the flight.
Wreckage Examination
The wreckage was located atop a mountain ridge in heavily wooded terrain. The debris path through treetops measured 200 feet in length, with the airplane coming to rest at about 2,600 feet mean sea level. The debris line headed 003° magnetic, approximately 3 miles from the last radar position. All major components were present.
The fuselage, cockpit, and cabin sustained substantial impact damage and post-crash fire. Instruments were impact-damaged. All flight control surfaces were damaged from impact. Control cable continuity was traced from cockpit to surfaces, with separations consistent with overload. No preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure was evident in the airframe or flight controls.
The engine and its accessories were heavily damaged by impact and fire. Valve train continuity was confirmed; crankshaft rotation produced compression on all cylinders. Spark plugs showed light gray deposits and normal wear. The oil screen and filter were free of debris. No preimpact mechanical malfunction was found.
The propeller separated from the crankshaft; both blades had chordwise scoring across leading edges and forward faces. One blade had an S-shaped bend; the other was bent and twisted mid-span to tip. Tree branches 2–3 inches in diameter were cleanly severed in a diagonal pattern within the debris path.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Commonwealth of Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted a postmortem examination on June 1, 2009. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries. Forensic toxicology by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory detected no ethanol in liver or muscle, and no drugs in the liver.
Review of the pilot's personal medical records indicated that on July 31, 2007, he reported symptoms of muscle weakness and right eye ptosis with activity. On August 7, 2007, he was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis and prescribed pyridostigmine bromide. On August 21, 2007, medication was controlling symptoms. Surgery to remove a thymoma was performed on September 18, 2007. By December 17, 2007, he required less medication. On April 1, 2008, symptoms had resolved and he stopped medication. On April 29, 2009, he reported back pain and shoulder pain, and myasthenia gravis was noted as asymptomatic since thymectomy. His most recent FAA medical application, dated August 28, 2007, did not mention the diagnosis or medication.
In a telephone conversation, the pilot's daughter stated he was experiencing significant stress, including the death of his father about six months prior and filing for divorce approximately two weeks before the accident.