Mooney M20E N9330M accident near Guymon, Oklahoma

Probable cause

The noninstrument-rated pilot's encounter with instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and his subsequent loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to take off in deteriorating weather conditions.

NTSB analysis

A witness reported that, after landing for an en-route fuel stop, the noninstrument-rated pilot checked the weather and then departed for a cross-country flight; instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of departure. The burned wreckage was found 2 days later in a remote unpopulated area about 6 miles northwest of the departure airport. Examination of the accident site revealed ground scars and airplane damage consistent with a nearly vertical nose-down collision with terrain. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures, although the definitive operational status of the vacuum-driven instruments could not be determined. The weather information, which was corroborated by a witness, depicted deteriorating weather conditions with a lowering variable ceiling and the lack of a visible horizon in the area at the time of the accident. The low-visibility conditions were conducive to the noninstrument-rated pilot's development of spatial disorientation, and the airplane's near-vertical descent is consistent with the pilot's loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN13FA217 for the full record.