Mooney M20F accident near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, August 27, 1988
On August 27, 1988 at about 8:35 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N9528M, was destroyed in an accident near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- August 27, 1988 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Jackson Hole, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N9528M · no longer on the register · serial 670105
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PVT PLT OBTAINED HIS INSTRUMENT RATING 14 DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. 12 HRS OF ACTUAL INSTRUMENT FLT TIME WAS LOGGED IN MARCH OF 1987. THE REMAINING INSTRUMENT FLT TIME WAS SIMULATED. VISIBILITY IN THE JACKSON HOLE AREA WAS REDUCED BY SMOKE. THE PLT REPORTED HE WAS CLIMBING THRU 11,000 FT FOR 14,000 FT. THE ACFT WRECKAGE WAS FOUND AT 9,000 FT. THE ACFT HAD STRUCK TWO TALL TREES AND FELL VERTICALLY TO THE GND. THE ACFT WEIGHT WAS CALCULATED TO BE NEAR MAX GROSS AND THE CG WAS DETERMINED TO BE BEYOND THE AFT LIMIT. THE PLT'S TOTAL INSTRUMENT FLT TIME WAS 42 HOURS. THE ACFT OWNERS MANUAL CONTAINS A WARNING WHICH STATE 'UP TO 2,000 FT OF ALTITUDE MAY BE LOST IN A ONE-TURN SPIN AND RECOVERY...THE RATE OF ROTATION DURING THE FIRST PORTION OF THE SPIN IS QUITE RAPID AND THE OCCUPANTS OF THE AIRCRAFT WILL LIKELY BECOME DISORIENTED.'
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: 1,020 hours in all; 285 in this make and model; 86 in the last 90 days; 940 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JAC at 8:15 pm
- Destination: BJC Broomfield CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:57 pm from JAC, 12 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.