Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Raleigh-Durham International Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Cary, North Carolina 27513
Monday, May 3, 2004 15:20 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
Upon arriving at the destination airport, the flight was cleared for the ILS runway 5L approach. Since the pilot was not familiar with the destination airport, the pilot requested and was given radar vectors. Approach control informed the pilot when established on the localizer he was cleared for the ILS runway 5L approach. After multiple attempts to land at the Raleigh-Durham Airport, approach control provided the pilot with visual flight rules alternatives to the Greensboro and Winston-Salem Airports. The pilot requested to attempt another approach, and on the final attempt approach control lost radio and radar contact with the airplane. At 1545 the Wake County rescue located the downed airplane approximately 5-miles south of the Raleigh-Durham Airport in a small lake in an apartment complex. The debris from the airplane sank in the water on the northwest side of the lake in approximately 8 feet of water. Witnesses at the crash site reported seeing the airplane come in at a shallow angle turned sideways. The airplane collided with trees and then the lake. Examination of the wreckage site revealed freshly broken trees at the beginning of the wreckage path. Approximately 300 feet from the first broken tree there was another tree with freshly broken branches, and a ground scar along the shoreline of a small lake. Examination of the inboard left wing assembly revealed it was separated from at the mid-section of the wing and crush damaged. The post- accident examination of the airframe and the engine assembly did not reveal any flight control anomalies.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot experienced spatial disorientation, which resulted in a loss of control and the subsequent collision with trees. Factors were low ceilings and fog.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/3/2004 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1520 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | Cary |
| Event State | NORTH CAROLINA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 27513 |
| Event Date Year | 2004 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | Yes |
| Event Location Latitude | 344617N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0784852W |
| Event Location Airport | RALEIGH-DURHAM INTERNATIONAL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | RDU |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 10 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 230 |
| Airport Elevation | 435 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1538 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 197 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | RDU |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 435 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 5 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 900 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0.05 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 11 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 11 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 30 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.91 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 73 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| 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) | 18068 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Communication Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | May 3 2004 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1545 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 13 2005 12:54PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\JOHB |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Greensboro FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N91514 |
| NTSB Number | ATL04FA107 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | Yes |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Mooney |
| Aircraft Model | M20M |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 27-0119 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3368 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | Unknown |
| 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 | May 1 2003 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 2116 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | TLSB INC |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 3511 SILVERSIDE RD APT 105AP |
| Aircraft Owner City | WILMINGTON |
| Aircraft Owner State | DE |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 19810 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Jerome Forrest Kurtz |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 1303 W. Aviator Circle |
| Operator City | Payson |
| Operator State | AZ |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 85541 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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 | CUB |
| Departure City | COLUMBIA |
| Departure State | SC |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1320 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | RDU |
| Destination City | RALEIGH/DURHAM |
| Destination State | NC |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 17 2005 2:15PM |
| User who most recently changed record | POWP |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 5 |
| Runway Length | 7500 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |