Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Old Lyme, Connecticut 06371
Friday, May 20, 1983 14:20 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN IMC AFTER THE PLT REPORTED HE LOST HIS VACUUM INSTRUMENTS. THE FLT ORIGINATED AT MATTITUCK, NY WITH A DESTINATION OF LEBANON, NH. AFTER DEPARTURE THE PLT WAS CLEARED TO CLIMB TO 7000 FT. THE INSTRUMENTRATED PILOT WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. ABOUT 8 MINUTES AFTER DEPARTURE THE PILOT RADIOED THAT HE HAD EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF VACUUM AND HIS ARTIFICIAL HORIZON WAS INOPERATIVE. HE ALSO STATED HE HAD NO AUTOPILOT AND REQUESTED RADAR VECTORING. HE WAS GIVEN A HEADING OF 050 FOR RADAR VECTORING TO NORWICH VOR. ABOUT 2 MINUTES LATER THE PILOT RADIOED HE WAS 'IN TROUBLE AND IN A DIVE.' ONE MIN LATER HE RADIOED 'ONE THOUSAND FT I AM IN DEEP TROUBLE HERE.' THIS WAS THE LAST RADIO CALL FROM THE PLT. WITNESSES IN THE AREA HEARD & SAW THE ACFT COME OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT 200-300 FT & THEN CLIMB BACK INTO THE FOG BANK. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, A 'WHISTLING DIVE' WAS HEARD FOLLOWED BY THE SOUND OF A CRASH. THE WX IN THAT AREA WAS DESCRIBED AS FOG, LIGHT RAIN, & OVERCAST. EXAM OF THE ACFT WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE VACUUM PUMP FAILED.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/20/1983 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 1420 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | OLD LYME |
| Event State | CONNECTICUT |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 06371 |
| Event Date Year | 1983 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| 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 | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1345 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 95 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | GON |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 10 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 13 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 700 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| 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) | 12 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 220 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 14 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| 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) | 965 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 21274 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 9:15AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N231HT |
| NTSB Number | NYC83FA121 |
| 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 | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | Ground |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | MOONEY |
| Aircraft Model | M-20K |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | M-20K |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 25-0267 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2900 |
| 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 | Jul 14 1982 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ARTHUR W. JOHN |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 19 JUNCTION ROAD |
| Aircraft Owner City | BROOKFIELD CTR. |
| Aircraft Owner State | CT |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 06085 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | YALE GRAYSON |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | RFD |
| Operator City | VERSHIRE |
| Operator State | VT |
| 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 | |
| Departure City | MATTITUCK |
| Departure State | NY |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1409 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | LEB |
| Destination City | LEBANON |
| Destination State | NH |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:36AM |
| 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 | -- |