Mooney M20F accident near Jonestown, Pennsylvania, August 29, 2000
On August 29, 2000 at about 7:54 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N9436V, was destroyed in an accident near Jonestown, Pennsylvania (Dee Jay 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
The pilot's delay in aborting the landing, which resulted in a collision with transmission wires. Factors in the accident were the pilot's improper inflight decision to attempt a landing with a 14-knot tailwind, and his use of an unapproved pain medication.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 2000 · about 7:54 pm local time
- Place
- Jonestown, Pennsylvania · Dee Jay Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N9436V · no longer on the register · serial 700032
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot aborted a landing on a private sod strip 1,800 feet in length. The runway was oriented approximately 090 and 270 degrees magnetic, with trees at the east end, and trees, houses, and power lines at the west end. The pilot landed to the west with a 14-knot tailwind. During the aborted landing, the airplane struck wires, stalled, rolled inverted, and crashed beyond the departure end of the runway. Examination of the wreckage revealed no pre-impact anomalies. Interpolation of performance charts revealed that the airplane required 1,754 feet of runway to land over a 50-foot obstacle with a 14-knot tailwind. A review of pharmacy records and toxicological testing revealed the pilot had ingested an unapproved pain medication prior to flight.
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: 3,410 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,558 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 1999; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9D4 Lebanon PA at 7:40 pm
- Destination: 8PA1 Jonestown PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,800 ft by 125 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from MDT, 20 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.