Mooney M20F accident near Bethany, Oklahoma, April 3, 1990
On April 3, 1990 at about 4:46 am local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N3514X, was destroyed in an accident near Bethany, Oklahoma (Wiley Post airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
LOSS OF CONTROL IN FLIGHT WHEN THE PILOT STALLED AND SPUN THE AIRPLANE INADVERTENTLY WHILE TURNING TO THE BASE LEG. A FACTOR WAS LACK OF NIGHT FLYING TIME.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 1990 · about 4:46 am local time
- Place
- Bethany, Oklahoma · Wiley Post · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N3514X · no longer on the register · serial 670052
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A NIGHT VFR APPROACH TO THE AIRPORT, WITNESSES SAW THE AIRPLANE START A TURN TO BASE LEG AND THEN SPIN INTO THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE WAS DEMOLISHED BY IMPACT AND THE PRIVATE PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE FLIGHT HAD ORIGINATED IN CHESTER, SC ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT HAD RECEIVED HIS PILOT'S LICENSE ON MARCH 24, 1990, HAD FLOWN THE AIRPLANE TO SOUTH CAROLINA ON MARCH 28, 1990, AND WAS ON HIS WAY BACK TO ARIZONA TO VISIT HIS SICK FATHER. THE PILOT'S TOTAL FLYING TIME WAS 106 HOURS, OF WHICH 6.7 HOURS HAD BEEN FLOWN AT NIGHT.
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: 106 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 47 in the last 30 days; 54 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,013 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 21, 1989; 121 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-AIA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3WE St. Louis MO at 11:30 pm
- Destination: PWA Oklahoma City OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 7,198 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 340° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:48 am from PWA, 1 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.
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.