Mooney M20D accident near Darien, Georgia, November 24, 1992
On November 24, 1992 at about 9:25 am local time, a Mooney M20D, registered N6742U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Darien, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE IN-FLIGHT PLANNING WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION. FACTORS WERE FOG AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO USE AVAILABLE EN ROUTE WEATHER SOURCES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 1992 · about 9:25 am local time
- Place
- Darien, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20D · all M20Ds on the register
- Registration
- N6742U · no longer on the register · serial 168
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A PRE-FLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING WAS OBTAINED BY THE PILOT WHICH CONTAINED PRECAUTIONS REGARDING COASTAL FOG. NO RECORD WAS FOUND THAT ANY SUBSEQUENT REQUESTS FOR WEATHER INFORMATION WAS MADE, BY THE PILOT, UNTIL TERMINAL WEATHER WAS SOUGHT VIA AWOS. VISIBILITY WAS LISTED AS ONE HALF MILE, WITH PARTIAL OBSCURATION & A 100 FOOT CEILING. A VOR APPROACH WAS ATTEMPTED. AFTER A MISSED APPROACH, AN ILS APPROACH WAS ATTEMPTED AT AN AIRPORT PREVIOUSLY OVERFLOWN. A MISSED APPROACH AGAIN OCCURRED. EN ROUTE TO REQUESTED VFR CONDITIONS, THE FUEL WAS EXHAUSTED. A LANDING WAS MADE IN THE MEDIAN OF AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY.
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: 440 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,603 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 7, 1991
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TUP Tupelo MS at 4:45 am
- Destination: 49J Hilton Head Is. SC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:47 am from SSI, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.