Mooney M20E accident near Jackpot, Nevada, July 30, 2000
On July 30, 2000, a Mooney M20E, registered N5853Q, was destroyed in an accident near Jackpot, Nevada (Jackpot airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot inadvertently became lost/disoriented during initial climb and collided with terrain. A related factor was the dark night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2000
- Place
- Jackpot, Nevada · Jackpot · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N5853Q · no longer on the register · serial 792
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with terrain after departure on a dark night. A witness watched the airplane depart runway 15 and appear to climb above lights on top of a mountain. The airplane turned left toward the east, and several seconds later it began to lose altitude. The airplane disappeared from sight; then the witness heard the engine rpm increase followed by a "crash sound." The first identified point of ground contact was 0.52 miles from the airport on a magnetic bearing of 105 degrees, and there was zero percent illumination of the moon. An examination of the airframe and engine revealed no catastrophic failures and no anomalies, which would have precluded normal operation of the airplane or engine.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,070 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,925 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 9, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 19, 1999; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 06U Jackpot NV at 6:00 am
- Destination: JER Jerome ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 6,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 am from TWF, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.