Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Vernon, Texas 84080
Wednesday, January 7, 1998 11:45 CST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The single-engine airplane was established at a cruising altitude of 12,000 feet MSL. The instrument rated commercial pilot requested a descent to a lower altitude and was given clearance to descend to 10,000 feet by ATC. After the pilot acknowledged the clearance, radar contact and voice communications from the aircraft were lost. No distress calls were received from the aircraft. The wreckage of the airplane, which had impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude, was found by a search and rescue helicopter in an open field. Several aural witnesses, located near the accident site, reported hearing a very loud engine noise followed by silence. Several residents in the vicinity reported the local weather to be foggy, with freezing rain, and low clouds. The aircraft, which was not equipped for flight in icing conditions, was operating within the boundaries of a current weather advisory, which called for rime icing in the clouds below 8,000 feet. No mechanical anomalies were found during examination of the wreckage. Pilots flying various types of aircraft in the vicinity of the accident site had reported light to moderate icing in the clouds from 16,000 feet to 4,000 feet. According to the NTSB meteorologist, it was likely that the pilot could have encountered IMC conditions with light to moderate icing.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the loss of control during cruise flight for undetermined reasons.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/7/1998 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1145 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Standard Time |
| Event City | VERNON |
| Event State | TEXAS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 84080 |
| Event Date Year | 1998 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1156 Central Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 200 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | SPS |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1019 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 42 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 1200 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 600 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Thin Broken |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 1 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 34 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 34 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 340 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 13 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 10980 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 7 1998 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2104 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Nov 14 2001 10:29AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N231DS |
| NTSB Number | FTW98FA088 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Mooney |
| Aircraft Model | M20K |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | M20K |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 25-0127 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3200 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Dec 15 1995 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 91 |
| Airframe Hours | 1734 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | DAVID R. JACK |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 14826 BUTTERNUT STREET NW |
| Aircraft Owner City | ANDOVER |
| Aircraft Owner State | MN |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 55304 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | T98 |
| Departure City | SAN MARCOS |
| Departure State | TX |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1000 |
| Departure Time Zone | CST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | GCK |
| Destination City | GARDEN CITY |
| Destination State | KS |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Nov 7 2001 4:45AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |