M20K Down, Torrance Country NM?

[rogerl]

who owns it

Edited March 14, 2021 by rogerl

[jpjp]

Unfortunately it does look like its a Mooney.

 

http://krqe.com/2014/11/12/plane-crashes-near-clines-corners/

[carqwik]

N231JF per FAA....

 

http://www.asias.faa.gov/pls/apex/f?p=100:96:::::P96_ENTRY_DATE,P96_FATAL_FLG,P96_MAKE_NAME:13-NOV-14

[kortopates]

http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2014/11/accident-occurred-november-12-2014-in.html

Registration suggest just a few months of ownership.

Flightaware info suggest a long day of VFR flying in less than good weather. Its shows 2 flights which actually appear to be the same flight with a change to a closer destination. An initial altitude of 2500 then later at 6500 - perhaps staying below low ceilings in the departure area?

[chrisk]

I am always saddened when I see a crash with a loss of life.

[Dave Marten]

Umm.. Fighting headwinds and deteriorating weather all day (huge artic air mass), racing sunset, pushing west at low altitude into harsh terrain. The dirt is at 7000' msl where he hit and not flat. He was just east of the Sandia Mtns. Once the sun dips down behind the Sandias it gets very dark out there. Poor decision making to keep pushing west. Got himself into a corner? You bet. Make an early divert decision. Unfortunately appears to be another case of VFR into IMC loss of control.

Fly safe. Get-home-itis can be fatal.

Travel safe this Thanksgiving. The goal is to eat turkey and not end up being the roasted turkey.

[MB65E]

Too sad...

[PTK]

Very sad to see yet another one. Way too much loss of life and airplane lately among us.

Fly safe folks...fly safe.

[Joe Zuffoletto]

These always bum me out. And, of course, the next day was sunny and beautiful in these parts (though pretty frickin' cold).

[bonal]

I am Getting realy tired of these please be careful every one. Some times accidents just happen and cant be avoided but poor judgement on weather or fuel or bad flight planning. I know we dont know all the facts but for all of us double up on all your planning and decision makeing. lets fly safe everyone!!!

Prayers to the family

[PaulB]

This is my first year of Mooney ownership so it's the first year that I've paid attention to the number of mooney crashes but it seems like there have been a lot lately. To those that have been paying attention longer than I is this a normal year or has it been an outlier?

[Marauder]

This is my first year of Mooney ownership so it's the first year that I've paid attention to the number of mooney crashes but it seems like there have been a lot lately. To those that have been paying attention longer than I is this a normal year or has it been an outlier?

Hard to say. I think things go up a bit when there a uptick of new owners.

[Guest]

How many people died the same day in car wrecks or by gun fire?

While very sad these things will happen with little we can do to prevent them.

Fly carefully,

Clarence

[aviatoreb]

This is my first year of Mooney ownership so it's the first year that I've paid attention to the number of mooney crashes but it seems like there have been a lot lately. To those that have been paying attention longer than I is this a normal year or has it been an outlier?

 

I think this is a normal year - I have just now looked at the NTSB for the last 10 years, and I see 5, 6, or 7 fatal crashes in each of the last 10 years except 2006 when there was 10.

 

This can be compared to other makes and models in many ways, but long story short from memory (not recent analysis), the Mooney has not been doing worse than other single engine aircraft, even a little better than average, and even quite well considering it is a high performance single.

 

So why the seemingly recent surge?  We are watching the entire country.  There are 6000 Mooneys in this country (are there?) and if there are 6 fatal accidents per year, that means not considering conditional probabilities for training level and so forth (and I always say that a larger risk is concentrated on a fewer risk takers), just a bulk average is each mooney has a 1/1000 per year chance of a very bad day.  You can work this another way, using the 1/100,0000 hours of exposure...and work your way forward to a similar probability, across the GA fleet.

 

Not sloughing off the shock of each crash with mathematical bravado - and there was one about 40 miles from here this summer - a Mooney but not a local one - let's just say, let's all be careful out there.

[carusoam]

Your statistics get improved by being on this board...

Get trained, read...a lot.

Know what can kill a Mooney pilot.

Actively avoid these situations.

Anyone can buy a Mooney.

Flying it safely takes a commitment...

Then be ready to explain what you did after you are involved with a mooney mishap. Your community appreciates it.

Best regards,

-a-

[PTK]

This is my first year of Mooney ownership so it's the first year that I've paid attention to the number of mooney crashes but it seems like there have been a lot lately. To those that have been paying attention longer than I is this a normal year or has it been an outlier?

I echo what others have already said re how to look at the statistics.

In this particular case though, I think that although it's a "Mooney fatal accident", fact of the matter is the outcome wouldn't have been much different had it been another similar airplane. So to answer your question as far as Mooneys go I think it's an outlier.

One has to stop and ask what exactly this unfortunate soul was thinking. Is this another case of shifting all the responsibility to the airplane "yes...the weather is deteriorating but the airplane is capable and will save the day?" Begs the question.

[Parker_Woodruff]

People are not flying enough to keep their basic airmanship skills in good shape. Then add to that the cheap people that have somehow had an $800 annual each of the last 10 years. Then add the stupid mental decisions of get-there-itis. This is how hulls are lost.

It's been a nice change of pace as a CFI that the last four people I've flown with in Mooneys have flown with assertiveness, confidence, and with some quality in their flying skills...

But there are others that need some serious help. In other words, today's accident rates 1) don't surprise me and 2) are largely avoidable.

Get out there and stay proficient.

[WardHolbrook]

...the next day was sunny and beautiful in these parts (though pretty frickin' cold).

Remember that.

 

They way my CFI explained it to me was that it's always VFR when they recover the bodies.

[N201MKTurbo]

New Mexico can be an awful place to fly. I've had some of the biggest headwinds and worst turbulence of my flying life there. Flying for hours into a rough head wind can dull anybody's senses and there are not a lot of options to land in eastern NM.

 

Once a couple of years age My wife and I were returning to Phoenix from somewhere out east. We stopped for gas in the Texas panhandle and took off for Phoenix. The forecast said that there would be SEVERE turbulence below 14000 ft. and increasing headwinds the higher we went. So 16500 it was. It was only supposed to be light to moderate  at 16-5, but it was awful! it took 5 hours to get home (no wind would have been 2.5). Saw ground speeds of 60 kts! (TAS 175) I would have thrown in the towel and landed but couldn't stand the thought of descending in to worse turbulence. And this wasn't the only flight like this, just the worst.

 

I lived in Albuquerque for a year and when the weather is good it is a beautiful place to fly.

[WardHolbrook]

People are not flying enough to keep their basic airmanship skills in good shape. Then add to that the cheap people that have somehow had an $800 annual each of the last 10 years. Then add the stupid mental decisions of get-there-itis. This is how hulls are lost.

It's been a nice change of pace as a CFI that the last four people I've flown with in Mooneys have flown with assertiveness, confidence, and with some quality in their flying skills...

But there are others that need some serious help. In other words, today's accident rates 1) don't surprise me and 2) are largely avoidable.

Get out there and stay proficient.

Amen. Words to live by. For most, if not all, of us a simple BFR isn't going to cut it. Two years is too long. Grab an instructor once or twice a year and go looking for the rust - you will find it. If you're IR and somehow always manage to keep current without using a CFII go grab one at least once a year and go looking for the rust. It will be there. The pros have to do this at least once a year and it always surprises me that somehow the hobby pilots never seem to feel the need. Grabbing a CFI or CFII once or twice a year isn't going to break anyone's budget.   

[gsxrpilot]

Amen. Words to live by. For most, if not all, of us a simple BFR isn't going to cut it. Two years is too long. Grab an instructor once or twice a year and go looking for the rust - you will find it. If you're IR and somehow always manage to keep current without using a CFII go grab one at least once a year and go looking for the rust. It will be there. The pros have to do this at least once a year and it always surprises me that somehow the hobby pilots never seem to feel the need. Grabbing a CFI or CFII once or twice a year isn't going to break anyone's budget.   

 

 

As a Mooney Caravan member, I've got to say getting out with your buddies and doing some tight formation flying will also find the rust. We always take it very seriously and while fun, there isn't any horsing around. Just 2 or up to 4 Mooney's all flying together, any sloppiness is quickly exposed. While no substitute for time with a CFI, it has made a huge difference in my flying, awareness, and attention to detail.  All of which will certainly work in my favor if things go wrong, and even better, to keep things from going wrong.