Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20 accident near Chuckanut, Washington, February 13, 2018
On February 13, 2018 at about 3:13 am local time, a 1979 Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20, registered N123JN, was destroyed in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Chuckanut, Washington (Bellingham Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain during a visual approach in dark night visual meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 13, 2018 · about 3:13 am local time
- Place
- Chuckanut, Washington · Bellingham Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20 K, built 1979
- Registration
- N123JN · no longer on the register · serial 25-0060
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting a cross-country flight in dark night visual meteorological conditions. Flight track data indicated that the airplane flew direct toward the destination airport over mountainous terrain that was depicted on navigation products. As the airplane approached the destination airport, the pilot initiated a descent from 4,300 ft mean sea level (msl). About 14 miles south of the airport, the pilot requested and received clearance to conduct a straight-in approach and was instructed to report 3 miles from the runway; no further communications were received from the pilot. The airplane's groundspeed and flight track were consistent throughout the descent, and the airplane was last captured on a northwesterly heading at an altitude of 1,975 ft msl near the accident site. Evidence at the site was consistent with a wings-level, high-speed impact with treetops on a ridge at an elevation of 1,900 ft msl about 9 miles south-southeast of the destination airport. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Downloaded engine data monitor information indicated that the engine was operating normally until impact. Autopsy of the pilot indicated no evidence of an incapacitating event. The airplane's consistent flight track, groundspeed, and descent rate and its high-speed, wings-level impact is consistent with controlled flight into terrain. Due to the dark night conditions and lack of ground lighting in the vicinity of the accident site, it is likely that the pilot did not see the terrain as he descended toward the destination airport.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 760 hours in all; 57 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 1.2 in the last 30 days; 687.2 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 29, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,782.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 24, 2018; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor TSIO-360-LB1B (piston); 1,730 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S43 Snohomish WA at 2:51 am
- Destination: BLI Bellingham WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 6,700 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from KBLI, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N123JN the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.