Mooney M20E accident near Roanoke, Texas, January 29, 1983
On January 29, 1983 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N5604Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Roanoke, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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
- January 29, 1983 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Roanoke, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N5604Q · registry record · serial 685
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
POWER LOSS OCCURRED ABOUT 7 MIN AFTER TAKEOFF. THE PLT TURNED BACK TOWARD THE ARPT BUT WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE ARPT DUE TO A 15-20 KT HEADWIND. THE ACFT LANDED HARD COLLAPSING THE LANDING GEAR AFTER THE PLT MUSHED THE ACFT TO CLEAR WIRES. EXAMINATION & FLOW TEST OF THE FUEL CONTROLLER REVEALED NUMEROUS DISCREPANCIES, OBSOLETE PARTS & FLOW CHARACTERISTICS WELL BELOW ACCEPTABLE STANDARDS. THE ENG WAS OVERHAULED IN 1976. A YELLOW SERVICEABILITY TAG IN THE ACFT RECORDS STATED THAT THE UNIT HAD BEEN OVERHAULED BY A REPAIR STATION IN TEXAS. HOWEVER THE SEAL ON THE SAFETY WIRE WAS STAMPED WITH AN IDENTIFICATION OF A LOS ANGELES BASED OVERHAULER THAT CLOSED SHOP IN 1969.
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: 662 hours in all; 497 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 645 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,961 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 21, 1982; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-260-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 334° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.