Mooney M20F accident near Lynch, Kentucky, April 15, 1989
On April 15, 1989 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N9252V, was destroyed in an accident near Lynch, Kentucky. 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
CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC). FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, TERRAIN, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 15, 1989 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lynch, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N9252V · no longer on the register · serial 690069
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 1507 CDT ON 4/15/89, THE ACFT DEPD AURORA, IL, ON A FLT TO FLORENCE, SC. WHEN IT DID NOT ARRIVE, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. FIVE DAYS LATER, IT WAS FOUND BY SURVEYORS ON LYNCH MTN AT ABOUT THE 3500' LEVEL. IMPACT OCCURRED ON A WOODED HILLSIDE, PARALLEL TO A RIDGELINE. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE ACFT WAS IN LEVEL FLT WHEN IT CRASHED. WITNESSES IN THE AREA RPRTD THEY HAD HEARD THE SOUND OF AN ACFT ENG AT ABOUT 1900 EDT ON 4/15/89. FOG, ACCOMPANIED BY DRIZZLE, COVERED THE TOP OF THE MTN AT THAT TIME. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PLT HAD OBTAINED 4 WX BRIEFINGS BEFORE THE FLT. EACH TIME, HE WAS ADZD THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED.
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
- Flight time: 219 hours in all; 121 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 155 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,595 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 29, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ARR Aurora IL at 8:02 pm
- Destination: FLO Florence SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from TRI, 38 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.