Mooney M20J accident near Biscoe, Arkansas, September 7, 1996
On September 7, 1996 at about 5:59 pm local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N311SM, was destroyed in an accident near Biscoe, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Binding of the flight control system for an undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 1996 · about 5:59 pm local time
- Place
- Biscoe, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N311SM · registry record · serial 24-0950
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the airplane was in cruise flight at 1,500 feet agl when he 'started feeling hard left pushing on the plane.' The airplane 'wanted to drop the left wing,' and the pilot turned the yoke to the right to counteract this tendency. The airplane began to 'pull downward,' and the pilot applied back pressure on the yoke. As the pilot continued to 'apply hard pressure' to the yoke, he heard a 'pop in the dashboard' and 'thought that something had gave way,' so he turned the airplane to the left to head back towards an open area. He partially extended the flaps, lowered the landing gear, and attempted to make an emergency landing on a road, but overshot the road and touched down in a soybean field. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a row of trees at the edge of the field. Control system continuity from the control surfaces to the cockpit controls was confirmed for the elevator, ailerons, and rudder. All cockpit instrumentation, radio equipment, and the associated tubing and wiring were destroyed by the post-crash fire; therefore, it was not possible to determine if any of these items had interfered with the operation of the flight controls.
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: 1,268 hours in all; 630 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 1,255 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,604 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 1996; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 4M3 Carlisle AR at 5:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
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.