Mooney M20M accident near Cary, North Carolina, May 3, 2004
On May 3, 2004 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Mooney M20M, registered N91514, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cary, North Carolina (Raleigh-Durham International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot experienced spatial disorientation, which resulted in a loss of control and the subsequent collision with trees. Factors were low ceilings and fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 2004 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Cary, North Carolina · Raleigh-Durham International · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20M · all M20Ms on the register
- Registration
- N91514 · no longer on the register · serial 27-0119
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon arriving at the destination airport, the flight was cleared for the ILS runway 5L approach. Since the pilot was not familiar with the destination airport, the pilot requested and was given radar vectors. Approach control informed the pilot when established on the localizer he was cleared for the ILS runway 5L approach. After multiple attempts to land at the Raleigh-Durham Airport, approach control provided the pilot with visual flight rules alternatives to the Greensboro and Winston-Salem Airports. The pilot requested to attempt another approach, and on the final attempt approach control lost radio and radar contact with the airplane. At 1545 the Wake County rescue located the downed airplane approximately 5-miles south of the Raleigh-Durham Airport in a small lake in an apartment complex. The debris from the airplane sank in the water on the northwest side of the lake in approximately 8 feet of water. Witnesses at the crash site reported seeing the airplane come in at a shallow angle turned sideways. The airplane collided with trees and then the lake. Examination of the wreckage site revealed freshly broken trees at the beginning of the wreckage path. Approximately 300 feet from the first broken tree there was another tree with freshly broken branches, and a ground scar along the shoreline of a small lake. Examination of the inboard left wing assembly revealed it was separated from at the mid-section of the wing and crush damaged. The post- accident examination of the airframe and the engine assembly did not reveal any flight control anomalies.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,493 hours in all; 1,272 in this make and model; 213 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,116 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 3,368 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CUB Columbia SC at 5:20 pm
- Destination: RDU Raleigh/Durham NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5, 7,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 0.1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 7:38 pm from RDU, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.