Two Fatally Injured When The Airplane Went Down Shortly After Takeoff

The NTSB has posted its preliminary report in an accident in Collinsville, OK, involving a Mooney M20J that resulted in the fatal injury of both the pilot and passenger on board the airplane.

The report does not give any indication that there was anything wrong with the airplane or the pilot prior to the accident. The plane was climbing to its assigned altitude of 6,000 feet when it entered a descending right turn. No distress call was made from the airplane, according to the report.

NTSB Identification: CEN13FA221
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, April 07, 2013 in Collinsville, OK
Aircraft: MOONEY M20J, registration: N57672
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On April 7, 2013, about 1800 central daylight time, a Mooney M20J, airplane, N57672, impacted terrain near Collinsville, Oklahoma. The commercial rated pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from the Tulsa International Airport (KTUL), Tulsa, Oklahoma, at 1747, and was en route to the Manhattan Regional airport (KMHK).

Several witnesses reported seeing the airplane before it descended into a small lot behind a vacant house.

The airplane’s impact left a crater approximately 10 feet in diameter and about 4 feet deep. The airplane’s engine and part of a propeller blade was visible in the crater; the left wing, empennage, were just outside the crater. One end of a narrow ground scar contained pieces of a fiberglass wingtip and a green navigation light, the other end of the scar was at the impact crater. Other pieces of the airplane were scattered around the area. A postcrash fire consumed part of the fuselage and rear stabilizer. The remainder of the airplane wreckage was fragmented.

A preliminary review of air traffic control and radar data was done. Communications with KTUL tower were normal, with the last acknowledgement from the pilot was that the airplane was cleared to 6,000 feet. There were no emergency or distress calls from the pilot. A review of radar information had the airplane tracking northward, in a shallow climb. The airplane reached 4,100 feet before a descending, right turn on the radar was observed. During the turn, the airplane disappeared from the radar.

(M20J image from file. Not accident airplane. N-Number obscured)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov