Mooney M20C accident near Payson, Arizona, July 8, 1996
On July 8, 1996 at about 7:15 am local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N6715N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Payson, Arizona (Payson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
animals on the runway. A factor was the dark night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 1996 · about 7:15 am local time
- Place
- Payson, Arizona · Payson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · all M20Cs on the register
- Registration
- N6715N · registry record · serial 680047
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot returned to his home base airport during nighttime conditions. He observed a herd of elk near the approach end of the runway, overflew them, and landed on the remaining runway. During rollout the airplane collided with two elk from another herd. The pilot reported that he was aware elk and other animals had unrestricted access to the runway since no fence surrounded the airport. A notice indicating that occurrence had been published in the FAA Airport/Facility Directory. The Payson police department reported detecting the odor of an intoxicating beverage on the pilot's breath. The pilot reported that about 1830 the previous evening he drank a couple of beers while in Laughlin, Nevada. The police administered a field sobriety and a portable breath test (PBT) on the pilot at 0304. The PBT sample produced results at the 0.03 percent level.
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: 808 hours in all; 78 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 750 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,781 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 1995; 104 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IFP Bullhead City AZ at 5:15 am
- Destination: E69
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX96LA268.