Mooney M20F accident near Galt, California, February 18, 1990
On February 18, 1990 at about 7:26 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N4093N, was destroyed in an accident near Galt, California. 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 FLEW INTO INSTRUMENT CONDITION, BECAUSE SPATIALLY DISORIENTATED AND COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN. FACTOR WAS FOGGY WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 1990 · about 7:26 pm local time
- Place
- Galt, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N4093N · no longer on the register · serial 680173
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING WHICH INDICATED THAT VFR FLYING ALONG HIS PROPOSED SOUTHBOUND ROUTE OF FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE PILOT FILED A VFR FLIGHT PLAN AND DEPARTED. AS THE PILOT FLEW SOUTHBOUND HE WAS OBSERVED BELOW THE BASE OF CLOUDS WHICH WAS AT 500 FEET AGL. SEVERAL MINUTES LATER THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED GROUND FOG WHICH REDUCED HIS VISIBILITY. A GROUND-BASED WITNESS REPORTED THAT HIS VISIBILITY AT THE CRASH SITE WAS 1/4 MILE. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A NOSE LOW AND RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE.
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: 265 hours in all; 84 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 2, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAC Sacramento CA at 7:12 pm
- Destination: BFL Bakersfield CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.