Mooney M20J accident near Gladewater, Texas, January 3, 1987
On January 3, 1987 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N201AV, was destroyed in an accident near Gladewater, Texas (Gladewater Municipal airport). 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 3, 1987 · about 7:20 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Gladewater, Texas · Gladewater Municipal · cases near this airport · 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
- N201AV · registry record · serial 24-0419
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED INTO LOW OVERCAST CLOUDS (ABOUT 200 FOOT CEILING) WITH ONE TO TWO MILES VISIBILITY IN LIGHT RAIN AND FOG. HE DID NOT FILE A FLIGHT PLAN ALTHOUGH HE WAS INSTRUMENT RATED. HIS CURRENCY FOR FLIGHT IN INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS ARE UNKNOWN. IMMEDIATELY AFTER ENTERING THE CLOUDS THE PILOT INITIATED A CLIMBING LEFT TURN OF ABOUT 150-160 DEGREES. ABOUT A MINUTE LATER THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED 1.5 MILES SOUTH OF THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. IMPACT OCCURRED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE OF 60-75 DEGREES AND AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE CLIMBING LEFT TURN IMMEDIATELY AFTER ENTERING THE CLOUDS WOULD HAVE BEEN CONDUCIVE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION.
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
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 472 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O7F Gladewater TX at 7:18 pm
- Destination: IAH Houston TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from TYR, 25 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N201AV on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mooney M-20 6,246 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mooney 5,395 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D 74 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- George Bush Intcntl/Houston Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,064 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,966 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW87FA043.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.