Mooney M20K accident near Ithaca, New York, October 7, 2005
On October 7, 2005 at about 8:08 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N1163A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ithaca, New York (Ithaca Regional Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to comply with the published instrument approach procedure, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 2005 · about 8:08 pm local time
- Place
- Ithaca, New York · Ithaca Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N1163A · registry record · serial 25-0666
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on a VOR approach, the pilot reported to the control tower that he was 3.5 miles from the airport. Shortly thereafter, the pilot saw the tops of trees about 50 feet in front of the airplane. Without sufficient time to arrest the descent, the airplane impacted trees and the ground resulting in substantial damage. The pilot additionally stated, "I can not really explain why I let the airplane descend too low. I felt comfortable with the approach throughout. I simply was too low, too far away from [the] airport."
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,038 hours in all; 427 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 44N Millbrook NY
- Destination: ITH Ithaca NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.