Mooney M20E accident near Newark, Indiana, October 24, 1983
On October 24, 1983 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N7144U, was destroyed in an accident near Newark, Indiana. 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
- October 24, 1983 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Newark, Indiana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N7144U · no longer on the register · serial 383
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HAD BEEN RECENTLY PURCHASED BY THE PLT & THIS WAS THE 2ND LEG OF A 3 LEG TRIP WHICH HAD ORIGINALLY DEPARTED HICKORY, NC. TWO WITNESSES LOCATED ABOUT 5 MI SSE OF THE ACCIDENT SITE OBSERVED THE ACFT. ONE WITNESS STATED THE VISIBILITY WAS LESS THAN 1 MI & THERE WAS LOW CLOUD COVER IN THE ENTIRE AREA. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING STRAIGHT & LEVEL 400-600 FT AGL. THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY STRUCK A RIDGE LINE.
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: 3,673 hours in all; 15 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M54 Lebanon TN
- Destination: IND Indianapolis IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:50 pm from BMG, 10 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.