Mooney M20K accident near Ogden, Utah, December 15, 2000
On December 15, 2000 at about 4:16 am local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N5772C, was destroyed in an accident near Ogden, Utah. It was a personal 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 pilot's inadvertent VFR flight into IMC, which resulted in a collision with mountainous terrain. Contributing factors were the blowing snow, turbulence, dark night light conditions, and pilot fatigue due to the long flight day.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 2000 · about 4:16 am local time
- Place
- Ogden, Utah
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N5772C · no longer on the register · serial 25-0841
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During descent at the end of a dark night VFR cross country flight, the pilot reported that he had his destination in sight and cancelled flight following. Approximately 1 minute and 15 seconds later, the airplane, which was heading west, impacted the east side of a mountain ridge about 6 nautical miles short of the destination airport. The weather conditions in the accident area were high winds from the west with blowing snow. Additionally, moderate to severe turbulence was forecast below 10,000 feet. The pilot's total flight time on the day of the accident was 9 hours 39 minutes. During examination of the airplane wreckage, no pre-impact engine or airframe anomalies that might have affected the airplane's performance were identified.
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: 6,020 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,128 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 13, 1999; 260 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-MB4B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCI Kansas City KS at 10:49 pm
- Destination: OGD UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 82°F (28°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 am from OGD, 6 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.
Other NTSB records under N5772C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.