Mooney M20F accident near Livermore, California, August 23, 1989
On August 23, 1989 at about 6:08 am local time, a Mooney M20F, registered CFSAB, was destroyed in an accident near Livermore, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S DECISION TO CONDUCT LOW LEVEL NIGHT FLIGHT UNDER LOW CEILINGS. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE DARK NIGHT, LOW CEILING, AND HIGH OBSTRUCTIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 1989 · about 6:08 am local time
- Place
- Livermore, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- CFSAB · no longer on the register · serial 680193
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED LIVERMORE ON 8/18 FOR AN EXTENDED TRIP. WHILE THE PILOT WAS AWAY, LAWRENCE LIVERMORE LABORATORY HAD INSTALLED ELECT TRANSMISSION LINES ON 200-FT TOWERS ON HILLS 6 MI EAST OF THE ARPT. THE LINES CROSSED A HIGHWAY AND WERE ABOUT 300-400 FT ABOVE THE VALLEY FLOOR. ACCORDING TO LOCAL PILOTS, WHEN FOG OR LOW CEILINGS COVERED THE ARPT, IT IS COMMON PRACTICE TO OVERFLY THE ARPT IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION UNTIL THE GROUND IS VISIBLE, DESCEND, AND REVERSE COURSE UNDER THE CLOUDS FOLLOWING THE HIGHWAY WESTWARD TO THE ARPT. THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS FOUND 300 YARDS WEST OF THE LINES AND NORTH OF THE HIGHWAY. THE RIGHT WING TIP WAS TORN FROM THE WING, AND WAS LOCATED UNDER THE LINES. GROUND WITNESSES STATED THE SKY WAS OVERCAST AND ESTIMATED THE CEILING AS 200 FT.
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: foreign licence, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 616 hours in all; 11 in the last 90 days; 515 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BLI Bellingham WA at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.