VFR into IMC · NTSB ERA09FA311
MOONEY M20D — Clintwood, VA
| Date | May 29, 2009 |
| Location | Clintwood, VA |
| Aircraft | MOONEY M20D |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute-descent VFR encounter with IMC |
| Pilot age | 57 |
| Pilot total time | 900 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Fog-Contributed to outcome - F
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
What happened
Witnesses in the local area reported that they watched the airplane descend in a circle to get beneath clouds before continuing in its original direction. The airplane subsequently passed in and out of clouds before disappearing from sight. Another witness observed the airplane flying in a northerly direction toward a mountain ridge. The airplane then flew into a fog bank at the top of the mountain, and there was the sound of a crash. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal mechanical or flight control anomalies that may have contributed to the accident. The pilot had been under substantial stress in the months leading up to the accident, and had been complaining of symptoms of shoulder pain 1 month prior to the accident. He had been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disorder, approximately 2 years prior to the accident, but was apparently in complete remission from the disease. It is unlikely that the myasthenia gravis was related to the accident, although the pilot may have been distracted by symptoms of stress or back pain.