Mooney M20E accident near Charleston, West Virginia, June 15, 1990
On June 15, 1990 at about 12:27 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N3260F, was destroyed in an accident near Charleston, West Virginia (Charleston/Yeager airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IFR PROCEDURES, HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER GLIDE PATH ON THE ILS APPROACH, AND HIS FAILURE TO INITIATE A MISSED APPROACH AT THE DECISION HEIGHT. THE ADVERSE WEATHER WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 15, 1990 · about 12:27 pm local time
- Place
- Charleston, West Virginia · Charleston/Yeager · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N3260F · registry record · serial M20E
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & COPLT WERE ON A 15-DAY TRIP, WHICH INCLUDED STOPS AT ALL STATE CAPITOLS IN THE CONTERMINOUS UNITED STATES. THE ACDNT OCCURRED ON THE NEXT TO LAST LEG OF THE TRIP. THE PLT WAS ON A VFR FLT, WHEN HE CONTACTED APCH CTL & REQUESTED LANDING INSTRUCTIONS. HE WAS ADVISED THAT IMC CONDITIONS EXISTED AT THE DESTN ARPT. HE THEN OBTAINED VECTORS FOR AN ILS RWY 23 APCH. AFTER ACKNOWLEDGING CLNC TO LAND, THERE WAS NO FURTHER TRANSMISSIONS FM THE ACFT. A WITNESS THAT LIVED NEAR THE FLT PATH TO RWY 23 HEARD THE ACFT & SAW IT FOR ABOUT 2 SECONDS WHEN IT APPEARED IN A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS. SOON THEREAFTER, HE HEARD THE ACFT HIT TREES & CRASH ABOUT 1 MI FM THE APCH END OF THE ARPT AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 1018 FT. WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER A 600 FT AREA. THE WITNESS RPRTD THE ACFT WAS VERY LOW BEFORE IT CRASHED, BUT THE ENG SOUNDED NORMAL. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND DURING AN INVESTIGATION. DECISION HEIGHT FOR THE APCH WAS 1181 FT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 9, 1990
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Thunderbird Flying Club, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: OSU Columbus OH at 12:14 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 6,300 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:38 pm from CRW, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.