Mooney M20J accident near Bethel, Oklahoma, November 26, 1984
On November 26, 1984 at about 9:13 pm local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N4081H, was destroyed in an accident near Bethel, Oklahoma. 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 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
- November 26, 1984 · about 9:13 pm local time
- Place
- Bethel, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N4081H · no longer on the register · serial 24-1056
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DESPITE A WX BRIEF DISCOURAGING VFR FLT THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT DEPARTED AT ABOUT 1330 CST. HIS STATED DEST WAS FT. WORTH, TX WHICH IS DUE NORTH. AFTER TAKEOFF IN VMC THE ACFT FLEW NE TOWARD AN UNKNOWN DEST. A WX STUDY INDICATED CONDITIONS ALONG THE TRACK OF FLT INCLUDED FOG, RAIN, AND THUNDERSTORMS. THE LAST PORTION OF THE FLT WAS IN THE VICINITY OF THUNDERSTORMS, HEAVY RAIN, SEVERE OR GREATER TURBULENCE, SEVERE ICING ABOVE 11,500 FT AND LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR. RADAR PLOTS RECORDED THE ACFT GROUND TRACK AND SHOWED VERY ERRATIC AIRSPEED AND COURSE DURING APRX THE LAST 25 MIN OF FLT. 4 NEAR 180 DEG TURNS WERE MADE, ALT WAS UNKNOWN. IMPACT OCCURRED ON A WESTERLY HEADING IN ROCKY, HILLY TERRAIN GEAR AND FLAPS UP. THE DESCENT ANGLE WAS APRX VERTICAL IN AN APRX 20 DEG NOSE DOWN LEFT WING LEADING ATTITUDE. THE ELT DID NOT ACTIVATE; AIR SEARCH WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AND TERMINATED ON 12-3-84. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND BY A HELICOPTER ON 9-11-85 IN THE COMMERCIAL PINE TREE FOREST. INVEST REVEALED NO PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS.
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: 1,777 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 1,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,026 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 26, 1984; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6DL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TO4 Georgetown TX at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 8 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
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 N4081H 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.