Mooney M-20K accident near Mammoth Lakes, California, September 27, 1982
On September 27, 1982 at about 8:52 pm local time, a Mooney M-20K, registered N4024H, was destroyed in an accident near Mammoth Lakes, California. It was a business 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 1982 · about 8:52 pm local time
- Place
- Mammoth Lakes, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M-20K · all M-20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N4024H · no longer on the register · serial 25-0455
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT CALLED MAMMOTH UNICOM & ADVISED HE WAS 10 MI OUT FOR LANDING. HE WAS ADVISED THAT HE SHOULD USE RWY 27. THE ACFTCRASHED INTO A LAKE ABOUT 6 MI EAST OF THE ARPT. TOXICOLOGICAL TESTS REVEALED A COCAINE LEVEL OF 40.0 MCG/ML IN THE PLT'S URINE.
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: 1,245 hours in all; 445 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 489 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 87 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-G3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C Lone Pine CA at 1:10 pm
- Destination: C Mammoth Lakes CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.