Mooney M20C accident near Leesburg, Virginia, June 18, 1994
On June 18, 1994 at about 9:28 am local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N6679U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Leesburg, Virginia (Leesburg Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE UNTIL THE PUBLISHED APPROACH FIX. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS PILOT FATIGUE, LOW CEILINGS, OBSCURATION, AND FOG.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1994 · about 9:28 am local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Virginia · Leesburg Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · all M20Cs on the register
- Registration
- N6679U · registry record · serial 2513
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES AFTER PASSING THE MIDDLE MARKER WHILE THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A NON-PRECISION INSTRUMENT LANDING AT NIGHT. THE REPORTED CEILING WAS 700 FEET AND THE VISIBILITY WAS REPORTED AS 1/2 MILE IN FOG. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DESCENDED BELOW THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE PREMATURELY. THE PILOT ALSO STATED THAT HIS JUDGEMENT WAS IMPAIRED DUE TO FATIGUE. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE REPORTED.
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: 3,101 hours in all; 2,887 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 3,037 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,958 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 1994; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BHM Birmingham AL at 4:40 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:34 am from IAD, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.