History of Flight
On April 7, 2013, at approximately 1800 central daylight time, a Mooney M20J registration N57672 impacted terrain near Collinsville, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot and a passenger sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The aircraft was operated by a private individual under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal travel. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. It departed Tulsa International Airport (KTUL) at 1747, destined for Manhattan Regional Airport (KMHK), Kansas. Air traffic control communications show the pilot contacted departure control and was cleared to 6,000 feet and to the DELAT intersection. About five minutes later, radar contact was lost and the pilot did not respond to radio calls. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane descending at a high rate of speed before impacting the ground behind a vacant house.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for single-engine and multi-engine land airplanes, plus an instrument rating. A third-class medical certificate was issued on January 9, 2013, with the restriction that corrective lenses for near vision must be available. At the time of the exam, the pilot reported 3,686.7 total flight hours, with 150.8 hours in the preceding six months. A pilot logbook recovered from the wreckage was too damaged to read further entries.
Aircraft Information
The accident aircraft was a Mooney M20J, a low-wing, single-engine airplane with retractable tricycle landing gear, powered by a reciprocating engine driving a constant-speed propeller. Its last annual inspection occurred on April 1, 2012, with a Hobbs meter reading of 4,818.6 hours. At that inspection, the engine had accumulated 3,650.5 total hours and 551.6 hours since overhaul. The aircraft was equipped with a fiberglass belly panel installed per Supplemental Type Certificate SA3252NM.
Meteorological Conditions
At 1753, the automated weather observation at KTUL reported wind from 160 degrees at 17 knots, gusting to 24 knots, with a peak wind of 170 degrees at 29 knots recorded at 1743. Visibility was 9 miles with an overcast ceiling at 2,000 feet. Temperature was 66°F, dew point 61°F, and barometric pressure 29.72 inches of mercury. Before departure, the pilot obtained weather briefings from flight service for both the outbound and return flights. The return leg briefing was obtained at about 1706.
Communications and Radar
The pilot was transferred from the KTUL tower to departure control. The departure controller instructed the pilot to climb to 6,000 feet and proceed direct to DELAT. The pilot acknowledged with a readback of "6,000" and a phrase sounding like "direct vlap." Approximately five minutes later, the controller attempted to contact the pilot without success, and no further communications or distress calls were received. Radar data showed the airplane departing TUL northward, climbing to about 4,300 feet before entering a descending right turn. No subsequent radar returns were recorded, and the last point was near the accident site.
Wreckage and Impact
The impact left a crater about 10 feet in diameter and 4 feet deep. The engine and part of a propeller blade were visible inside the crater, while the left wing and empennage lay just outside. A narrow ground scar extended from a fiberglass wingtip and green navigation light to the crater. A post-impact fire consumed portions of the fuselage and rear stabilizer, and the remaining wreckage was fragmented. The fiberglass belly panel was found approximately 1.4 miles away on a heading of 346 degrees from the main impact point. All major components were accounted for. The attitude indicator exhibited heavy impact damage, and the gyro showed scoring consistent with rotation at impact. The engine was extensively damaged, with the accessory case and sump shattered. Accessories including the fuel pump, magneto, and vacuum pump were scattered. All three propeller blades had separated from the hub, each displaying wave-type bends, leading-edge polishing, and leading-edge damage.
Medical and Pathological Information
Due to extensive trauma, an autopsy was not performed on the pilot. The FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory tested specimens and found them negative for ethanol and all tested drugs; tests for carbon monoxide and cyanide were not conducted.
Tests and Research
A subsequent examination of the wreckage at a salvage facility in Lancaster, Texas, involved the NTSB and a representative from the engine manufacturer. The main wing spar was fractured into several sections, with deformation consistent with the wing being intact at ground impact. The left horizontal stabilizer, both elevators, vertical stabilizer, and rudder remained attached to the empennage; the right horizontal stabilizer had separated and suffered fire damage. The left elevator counterweight was not located, but damage to the stabilizer and elevator suggested it was attached at impact. All fracture surfaces exhibited overload features without evidence of fatigue or flutter.