Mooney M20E accident near Watkins, Colorado, May 18, 1998
On May 18, 1998 at about 3:30 am local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N1306W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Watkins, Colorado (Front Range airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain visual contact with the taxiway. Factors were the pilot's disabling the electrical system by turning off the master switch, a dark night, and excessive taxi speed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 18, 1998 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Watkins, Colorado · Front Range · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N1306W · registry record · serial 194
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he experienced a total electrical failure while on a night cross-country flight. He landed without incident but while taxiing along the unlit taxiway, he lost sight of the centerline stripe. The airplane went off the taxiway and down an embankment. The airport night manager said the pilot told him he would 'turn on the navigation lights, if necessary,' to warn other airplanes. Postaccident inspection disclosed that when the master switch was turned on, all electrical components functioned normally. A specific gravity check indicated the battery was fully charged. According to the operator's records, the Hobbs meter and tachometer registered 65.9 and 3903.3, respectively, when the pilot checked the airplane out. At the accident site, the Hobbs meter and tachometer registered 67.6 and 3905.1, respectively, a Hobbs meter difference of 1.7 hours and a tachometer difference of 1.8 hours. The operator said he believed the pilot had turned off the master switch in an attempt to save on rental charges. He had also received reports from other renter pilots who said the pilot had bragged about saving money by turning off the master switch. An FAA inspector said that, based on the point where the aircraft departed the taxiway and its point of impact, taxi speed was excessive.
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: 131 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 68 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,905 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 7, 1998; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flight Training, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: AKO Akron CO at 2:30 am
- Destination: FTG
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from DEN, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW98LA222.