Mooney M20E accident near Cedar City, Utah, May 3, 1999
On May 3, 1999 at about 8:51 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N5594Q, was destroyed in an accident near Cedar City, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate fuel consumption calculations. Factors were the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and the obscuring weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 1999 · about 8:51 pm local time
- Place
- Cedar City, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N5594Q · no longer on the register · serial 645
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot contacted DUATS five separate times to plan his trip to Cedar City, Utah. The flight departed Boulder, Colorado, at 0908 and landed at Nucla, Colorado, at 1122 because of weather. The pilot departed Nucla, without refueling, at 1207. He received an in-flight IFR clearance at 1324, and proceeded on to Cedar City in IMC. At 1431, the pilot declared minimum fuel, and at 1443, the pilot declared an emergency for fuel exhaustion. The pilot reported that the engine started, and then at 1450, he said that he was circling to the ground. Although the pilot didn't say if the engine was running during the final minute of flight, physical evidence at the accident site suggested that it was not. An FAA inspector, who was driving southwest bound on I-15, approximately 7,000 feet south of the impact point, at the time of the accident, reported mist, light rain mixed with light snow, and visibility estimated to be 5 car lengths. An Air Force helicopter located the downed airplane at 1608. There were no indications of fuel in the aircraft at the accident scene.
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
- Flight time: 797 hours in all; 541 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,886 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 21, 1999; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6V6 Nucla CO at 6:09 pm
- Destination: CDC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,900 ft; ovct at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from CDC, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.