Mooney M20D accident near Clintwood, Virginia, May 29, 2009
On May 29, 2009 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Mooney M20D, registered N6628U, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Clintwood, Virginia. 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 continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2009 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Clintwood, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20D · all M20Ds on the register
- Registration
- N6628U · no longer on the register · serial 123
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses in the local area reported that they watched the airplane descend in a circle to get beneath clouds before continuing in its original direction. The airplane subsequently passed in and out of clouds before disappearing from sight. Another witness observed the airplane flying in a northerly direction toward a mountain ridge. The airplane then flew into a fog bank at the top of the mountain, and there was the sound of a crash. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal mechanical or flight control anomalies that may have contributed to the accident. The pilot had been under substantial stress in the months leading up to the accident, and had been complaining of symptoms of shoulder pain 1 month prior to the accident. He had been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disorder, approximately 2 years prior to the accident, but was apparently in complete remission from the disease. It is unlikely that the myasthenia gravis was related to the accident, although the pilot may have been distracted by symptoms of stress or back pain.
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
What happened, in order
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (descent)
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (descent) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Fog › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 900 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,370 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 0A9 Elizabethton TN at 8:00 pm
- Destination: DWU Ashland KY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft; scat at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from LNP, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N6628U 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.