Mooney M20C accident near St. Marys, Pennsylvania, November 15, 1987
On November 15, 1987 at about 2:10 am local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N3644H, was destroyed in an accident near St. Marys, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- November 15, 1987 · about 2:10 am local time
- Place
- St. Marys, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · all M20Cs on the register
- Registration
- N3644H · registry record · serial M20C201258
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE GETTING FUEL, THE PILOT OF THE MOONEY M20C AND HIS 3 PALS WERE ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE FROST WITH PAPER TOWELS AND PLASTIC CREDIT CARDS AFTER BEING TOLD BY THE FUEL TRUCK DRIVER THAT THE ARPT HAD NO ICE REMOVAL SOLUTION. A WITNESS STATED THAT AS THE ATTEMPT WAS BEING MADE TO REMOVE THE FROST & ICE, MORE FROST AND ICE WAS FORMING. WITNESSES WHO OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT ON THE TAKEOFF STATED THE ROLL WAY VERY LONG; THE CLIMB AND TURNING BANK WAS STEEP; AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT DESCENT ANGLE WAS STEEP. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND BURST INTO FLAMES.
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: 100 hours in all; 70 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,771 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 25, 1987; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 8G5 St. Marys PA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.