Mooney M20K accident near Flagstaff, Arizona, December 20, 1986
On December 20, 1986 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N4004H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Flagstaff, Arizona (Pulliam airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- December 20, 1986 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Flagstaff, Arizona · Pulliam · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N4004H · no longer on the register · serial 25-0403
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED CLOUDS AND TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING DURING A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT AT 17,500 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL. THE ENGINE FAILED SHORTLY AFTER THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE WEATHER. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE DURING THE FORCED LANDING DESCENT AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF 6110 FEET MSL. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE ENDUCTION SYSTEM REVEALED A COATING OF GLOBULAR ICE FORMATION AND CRYSTALS ON THE INDUCTION AIR FILTER. THE ALTERNATE AIR DOOR WAS CLOSED AND THE ALTERNATE AIR CONTROL WAS IN THE FILTERED POSITION.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,160 hours in all; 91 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days; 1,865 as pilot in command; 232 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,050 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 23, 1986; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-GB1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LGB Long Beach CA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: GCK Garden City KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:30 pm from FLG, 26 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.