Mooney M20E accident near Cobb, California, March 26, 1983
On March 26, 1983 at about 9:09 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N2571W, was destroyed in an accident near Cobb, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- March 26, 1983 · about 9:09 pm local time
- Place
- Cobb, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N2571W · registry record · serial 932
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD LEFT HIS ACFT AT LAKEPORT, CA FOR MAINTENANCE TO BE PERFORMED & BARROWED MOONEY M20E, N2571W. BEFORE THE PLT TOOK OFF, THE OWNER HEARD HIM TALKING TO SOMEONE ABOUT THE WX, BUT NO RECORD OF A WX BRIEFING WAS FOUND. WHILE EN ROUTE TO PALO ALTO, CA, THE ACFT CRASHED ON THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF APRX 3600 FT MSL. THE IMPACT OCCURRED ON 30 DEG DOWN SLOPING TERRAIN. AN EXAMINATION OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THE ACFT HAD CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN, LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE. SEVERAL PEOPLE HEARD THE ACFT & REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE SOUNDED NORMAL, EXCEPT IT SOUNDED LIKE THE PLT APPLIED FULL POWER JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT. WITNESSES AGREED THAT THE UPPER SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAIN WAS OBSCURED BY CLOUDS & THE BOTTOM OF THE CLOUD LAYER WAS BETWEEN 3500 & 3800 FT MSL. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT HAD LOGGED ONLY ABOUT 7 HRS OF SIMULATED INSTRUMENT TIME.
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: 309 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 251 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 16, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 102 Lakeport CA at 8:45 pm
- Destination: PAO Palo Alto CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast; 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.