Mooney M20C accident near Gary, Indiana, April 16, 1984
On April 16, 1984 at about 5:27 am local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N7899V, was destroyed in an accident near Gary, Indiana (Gary Muni. airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- April 16, 1984 · about 5:27 am local time
- Place
- Gary, Indiana · Gary Muni. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · all M20Cs on the register
- Registration
- N7899V · no longer on the register · serial 20C2861
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
VFR PLT RECEIVED 2 WX BRIEFINGS, FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN AND DEPARTED IN NIGHT IFR CONDITIONS. APRX 1 MIN AFTER CONTACTING CHICAGO ARTCC PLT REPORTED HE WAS HAVING 'PROBLEMS.' APRX 1 MIN LATER PLT REPORTED, 'NINE NINE VICTOR, I'M BREAKING UP.' ACFT WRECKAGE WAS FOUND NEXT DAY. ACCORDING TO PLT'S WIFE AND AN ASSOC, THE PLT HAD FLOWN IFR BEFORE. ANNUAL INSPECTION OF ACFT WAS COMPLETED ON 4/9/84. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED A CRACK IN THE PITOT TUBE 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: 4,188 hours in all; 76 in this make and model; 69 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,148 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 18, 1983; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LUK Cincinnati OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 am from MDW, 17 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.