Mooney M20C incident near Hazard, Kentucky, November 30, 2000
On November 30, 2000 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N942TB, was involved in an incident near Hazard, Kentucky (Big Sandy Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The incorrect routing of the cabin air scat tubing by an unknown person, which resulted in a carbon monoxide leak into the cabin, and subsequent pilot incapacitation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 2000 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hazard, Kentucky · Big Sandy Regional · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · all M20Cs on the register
- Registration
- N942TB · registry record · serial 2587
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight, the pilot became incapacitated. The pilot rated passenger was able to fly the airplane toward an airport and wake the pilot. The pilot landed uneventfully, but suffered from toxic levels of carbon monoxide. Examination of the airplane revealed a hole in the cabin air scat tubing. The hole was in the vicinity of the joint that connected the number one cylinder to the exhaust manifold, and there was a visible gap in the joint. Further examination revealed that the sometime during the airplane's history, the scat tubing had been misrouted.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 751 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 711 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,404 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 28, 2000; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LYH Lynchburg VA at 2:00 pm
- Destination: CEY Murray KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 21, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from JKL, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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 NYC01IA046.