On November 11, 2010, a MOONEY M20F (registration N6878V) operated by John B Welch was involved in an aviation accident near Copake, NY. 2 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to monitor and maintain clearance from mountainous terrain during a visual descent to the destination airport at night, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A Mooney M20F, N6878V, collided with wooded terrain near Mount Frey, New York, on November 10, 2010, killing the pilot and passenger. The flight was operating under IFR before transitioning to a visual approach.
Accident Overview and Flight History On November 10, 2010, at approximately 1940 Eastern Standard Time, a Mooney M20F, registration N6878V, sustained substantial damage after colliding with wooded terrain near the summit of Mount Frey in Copake, New York. The accident resulted in the deaths of the certificated private pilot and one passenger. The personal flight, conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, departed Lorain County Regional Airport (LPR) in Elyria, Ohio, at 1550. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the planned destination of Walter J Koladza Airport (GBR) in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Night visual meteorological conditions were in effect at the time of the accident. The aircraft maintained radar and radio contact with Albany terminal radar approach control (TRACON) during its approach to GBR. At 1921, the pilot requested a visual approach to runway 29 at GBR, which is situated at 739 feet above mean sea level (msl). The controller subsequently instructed the pilot to descend from 7,000 msl to 4,000 msl at 1927. By 1936, the pilot reported GBR in sight and was cleared for the visual approach. At 1937, the pilot canceled the IFR clearance with the Albany controller, changed the transponder code, and was advised of no traffic between the aircraft and GBR. No further communications were received from the aircraft after this exchange. Radar data indicated that at the time of the IFR cancellation, the aircraft was at 3,900 feet and began descending on a northeasterly track, consistent with a 45-degree entry to the left downwind leg of the GBR traffic pattern. The aircraft descended to 2,900 feet at 1939:12, approximately 1.5 miles from the summit of Mount Frey. By 1939:45, it had reached 2,400 feet, roughly 0.25 miles from the summit. At 1939:54, the aircraft was at 2,100 feet, approximately 1,000 feet from the summit. The summit elevation of Mount Frey was approximately 2,000 feet msl, while the GBR traffic pattern altitude was 1,700 feet msl. ## Personnel and Aircraft Information The pilot, age 64, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on February 2, 2009, at which time he reported 1,410 hours of total flight experience. The pilot's logbook was not recovered. The aircraft was a four-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane, serial number 22-1271, manufactured in 1975. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-360, 200-horsepower engine and equipped with a three-bladed, constant-speed Hartzell propeller. The most recent annual inspection was performed on June 22, 2010, when the airframe had accumulated 3,534 total hours and the engine had 2,243 total hours. ## Meteorological and Wreckage Information The pilot received a standard weather briefing and filed an IFR flight plan at 1524. Recorded weather at Pittsfield Municipal Airport (PSF), located about 20 miles northeast of GBR, at 1954 was: wind calm, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 1 degree Celsius, dew point minus 2 degrees Celsius, and altimeter 30.20 inches of mercury. For the GBR area, sunset occurred at 1637, the end of civil twilight at 1706, and moonset at 2034. The moon was a waxing crescent with 22 percent of its visible disc illuminated. The aircraft was located by a hunter on November 11, 2010, about 5 miles southwest of GBR, at an elevation of 1,861 feet msl. The main wreckage came to rest inverted, oriented on a southerly heading, near the summit of Mount Frey, with the empennage suspended in a tree. An approximate 500-foot long debris path, oriented on a northeasterly heading, originated with tree strikes and terminated at the main wreckage. Pieces from the outboard left wing were found near the beginning of the debris path, along with freshly cut branches from 25-foot tall trees. No tree damage was observed near the main wreckage, and a crater approximately 5 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 2 feet deep was present about 10 feet from the wreckage. A postcrash fire consumed the cockpit and fuselage. The flaps and landing gear were retracted. The inboard sections of the left and right wings remained attached to the fuselage, and the flaps remained attached to their respective wings. The outboard section of the left wing was found along the debris path, with its aileron attached. The outboard section of the right wing was consumed by fire. The empennage sustained minor damage, and its vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer, rudder, and elevator remained attached. The flight control system consisted of push-pull tubes, which were partially consumed by fire, preventing confirmation of flight control continuity. The engine and one propeller blade were partially buried in the ground. All three propeller blades remained attached to the engine. One blade exhibited s-bending, another was bent forward, and the third showed leading edge gouging and tip curling. The engine sustained thermal damage, and the propeller could not be rotated. Following recovery to a hangar, the No. 2 cylinder was found impact damaged, with a missing intake pushrod and a fractured intake rocker arm. The No. 1 cylinder also exhibited impact damage. Due to impact damage, the bottom sparkplugs were removed from the No. 2 and No. 4 cylinders, and the top sparkplugs were removed from the No. 1 and No. 3 cylinders. Examination of the sparkplugs revealed intact, light gray electrodes, with some debris noted in the No. 2 and No. 4 sparkplugs consistent with impact damage. The magnetos sustained thermal damage and could not be tested. The valve covers were removed. The crankshaft could only be rotated about 90 degrees via the propeller; however, a borescope examination of the cylinders did not reveal any catastrophic failures, and oil was noted throughout the cylinders. Examination of the elevator trim jackscrew revealed 7 threads, equating to an approximate takeoff trim setting. ## Medical and Pathological Information An autopsy was performed on the pilot on November 14, 2010, by the Albany County Medical Examiner's Office in Albany, New York. Toxicological testing was conducted on the pilot by the FAA Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.