What happened
On April 1, 2013, a Mooney M20E, registration N9330M, crashed in a remote area approximately 6 miles northwest of Guymon Municipal Airport (KGUY) in Oklahoma. The flight originated from El Reno Regional Airport (KRQO) with a planned destination of Meadow Lake Airport (KFLY) in Colorado. After making an en route fuel stop at KGUY, the pilot departed at 12:04 central daylight time.
At the time of departure, weather conditions were deteriorating. While the pilot had received a weather briefing earlier that morning, the local weather at KGUY showed a broken ceiling at 800 feet and overcast clouds at 1,200 feet. A witness noted that the ceiling was even lower with rain and sleet present during the departure. The pilot, who did not hold an instrument rating, departed into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).
The aircraft failed to arrive at its destination. Two days later, the burned wreckage was discovered by a local pilot flying near KGUY. The impact was consistent with a wings-level, terrain impact at approximately 70 degrees nose down. The 2 fatal injuries occurred to the pilot and the passenger.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and found the aircraft was upright at the impact site, though much of the cabin and instrument panel were consumed by a post-impact fire. The landing gear was found in the up and closed position, and the flaps were retracted.
Mechanical examination of the engine and airframe revealed no evidence of pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures. While the vacuum-driven instruments could not be definitively evaluated due to fire damage, the engine and flight control surfaces remained intact and connected until impact. The aircraft was equipped with a Garmin GNS430W GPS and an Aspen EFD 1000 system, but heat from the fire destroyed the electronic components of the GPS and the JPI EDM-700 engine monitor, preventing data extraction.