Mooney M20K accident near Laredo, Texas, January 18, 1996
On January 18, 1996 at about 2:11 am local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N231GS, was destroyed in an accident near Laredo, Texas. 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
The pilot's loss of aircraft control. A factor was the dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 1996 · about 2:11 am local time
- Place
- Laredo, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N231GS · registry record · serial 25-0158
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed from runway 14 with winds 150 degrees at 25 knots, blowing dust and haze, no moon, and high broken cloud condition. The airplane's departure route was over sparsely populated cattle country with minimal lighting. Radar contact was lost 3 minutes after takeoff. According to a witness who had flown with the pilot earlier in the day, the pilot flew that entire trip on autopilot, engaging it at 2,500 feet MSL during his climb out to 8,000 feet. The 500 hour pilot purchased the aircraft in August of 1995, and had acquired an estimated 45 hours of flight time in it, and last flew it in late December, 1995. According to FAA records, the pilot received a weather briefing and filed an IFR flight plan. Witnesses at the FBO in Laredo reported that the pilot asked them for some aspirin just before his takeoff; but they did not have any. The aircraft impacted the ground in an attitude of approximately 30 degrees nose low, and a right bank of approximately 90 degrees.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 45 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,849 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 23, 1995; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-GB1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LRD at 2:08 am
- Destination: SAT San Antonio TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 16 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:46 am from LRD, 3 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.