Mooney M20J accident near Macclenny, Florida, September 16, 1987
On September 16, 1987 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N201UX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Macclenny, Florida (Thrifts airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 1987 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Macclenny, Florida · Thrifts · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N201UX · registry record · serial 24-0391
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EN ROUTE AT 8000', THE ENG LOST POWER & THE PLT OBTAINED VECTORS FOR AN EMERG LANDING AT AN ARPT WITH A GRASS STRIP. DRG THE ROLL-OUT, THE LEFT WING TIP HIT A HAY WAGON NEAR THE END OF THE RWY, THEN THE ACFT VEERED & STRUCK A HANGAR. AN EXAM OF THE THROTTLE LINKAGE REVEALED THAT A SWIVEL JOINT HAD BROKEN OFF OF THE THROTTLE ARM ATTACHING BOLT, WHICH ALLOWED THE FUEL INJECTOR TO VIBRATE TO IDLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHERE THE SHANK AREA OF THE ATTACHING BOLT HAD BEEN RUBBING AGAINST THE ATTACHED THROTTLE CABLE FITTING & HAD BECOME WORN.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,802 hours in all; 169 in this make and model; 176 in the last 90 days; 2,544 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,061 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRG Jacksonville FL at 7:08 pm
- Destination: TLH Tallahassee FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 1,800 ft by 95 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:48 pm from JAX, 27 miles away
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 MIA87LA249.