Mooney M20E accident near Houghton, Michigan, September 11, 1982
On September 11, 1982, a Mooney M20E, registered N5518Q, was destroyed in an accident near Houghton, Michigan (Houghton County Memorial 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 1982
- Place
- Houghton, Michigan · Houghton County Memorial
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N5518Q · no longer on the register · serial 612
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED INTO TREES WHILE MAKING AN ILS APPROACH TO HOUGHTON COUNTY MEMORIAL ARPT, HANCOCK, MI. THE WEATHER WAS IMC AND AN IFR FLT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE TWO OCCUPANTS WERE HELD IN THE ACFT BY SEAT BELTS AND WERE FATALLY INJURED IN THE CRASH AND POST CRASH FIRE. THE FLT ORIGINATED AT BAY CITY, MI ABOUT 2 HRS & 15 MIN BEFORE THE CRASH. INBOUND TO HOUGHTON THE PILOT HAD RECEIVED A WEATHER UPDATE WITH VISIBILITY LESS THAN 1/4 MILE. WHEN ASKED IF HE WANTED TO TRY AN APPROACH HE SAID "I'LL TAKE A LOOK". AND "IF WE DON'T MAKE IT WE'LL NEED SOME PLACE TO GO". NO ALTERNATE HAD BEEN FILED ON HIS FLT PLAN. NO MORE TRANSMISSIONS WERE MADE AND 6 MINUTES AFTER THE PILOTS LAST STATEMENT A LOCAL RESIDENT CALLED HOUGHTON FSS AND REPORTED HEARING AN ACFT CRASH.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,428 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Bay City MI at 6:25 pm
- Destination: Houghton MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 6,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 151°F (66°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:40 pm from CMX
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.