Mooney M20K accident near West Milford, New Jersey, May 23, 1986
On May 23, 1986, a Mooney M20K, registered N97299, was destroyed in an accident near West Milford, New Jersey. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1986
- Place
- West Milford, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N97299 · no longer on the register · serial 25-0506
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON AN IFR FLIGHT THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS, LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND CRASHED. IN AN ATTEMPT TO CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE STORMS THE PLT INADVERTENTLY ENTERED A STORM AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT. THE PLTS LAST RADIO CALL INDICATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE.
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: 1,284 hours in all; 39 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 1,102 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 650 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 19, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-LB1B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BED Bedford MA
- Destination: MMU Morristown NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.