Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Angel Fire, New Mexico 87710
Thursday, February 5, 1998 16:29 MST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The airplane disappeared on a flight from Santa Fe to Angel Fire, New Mexico. The pilot did not obtain a weather briefing nor file a flight plan. The wreckage was located three days later in mountainous terrain at the 10,700 foot level. A witness told SAR personnel he had seen a low wing airplane 'flying in and out of the cloud bottoms' in the vicinity and at about the time of the accident. A meteorological study indicated moderate to severe turbulence associated with mountain wave activity, and marginal VFR conditions in the mountains. Radar data indicated that minutes before the accident, the airplane's altitude varied between 11,700 and 13,100 feet, ground speed reached a low of 64 knots and a high of 270 knots, and vertical speed varied between +4,800 and -6,000 feet per minute (+80 and -100 feet per second). At one point, the airplane made a complete 360 degree circle.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot attempting VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions and his lack of an instrument rating. Factors were weather conditions that included mountain wave activity conducive to turbulence, and clouds obscuring the mountainous terrain.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 2/5/1998 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1629 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Standard Time |
| Event City | ANGEL FIRE |
| Event State | NEW MEXICO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 87710 |
| Event Date Year | 1998 |
| Event Date Month | 2 |
| 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 | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Unknown |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Dusk |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Unknown |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| 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 | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 316 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Feb 8 1998 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1300 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 16 2001 11:55AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N9213M |
| NTSB Number | FTW98FA121 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Mooney |
| Aircraft Model | M20E |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | M20E |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1176 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2575 |
| 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 | Apr 11 1997 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 60 |
| Airframe Hours | 2730 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | GORDON O. VENEKLASEN |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 205 WILLIAMS ST. |
| Aircraft Owner City | SANTA FE |
| Aircraft Owner State | NM |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 85701 |
| 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 | SAF |
| Departure City | SANTA FE |
| Departure State | NM |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1558 |
| Departure Time Zone | MST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | AXX |
| Destination City | ANGEL FIRE |
| Destination State | NM |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 20 2001 6:29PM |
| 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 | -- |