Mooney M20C accident near E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, August 9, 1988
On August 9, 1988 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N2HV, was destroyed in an accident near E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania (Birchwood airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- August 9, 1988 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania · Birchwood
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · all M20Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2HV · no longer on the register · serial 680110
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT SAID THAT DURING AN ATTEMPTED LANDING THE ACFT FLOATED DURING THE FLARE. AFTER USING ABOUT HALF THE RWY HE DECIDED TO GO-AROUND. THE TEMP WAS 90 DEG F RESULTING IN A DENSITY ALT OF 3200 FT. THE PLT SAID HE APPLIED FULL PWR BUT THE ACFT DID NOT CLIMB RAPIDLY ENOUGH TO CLEAR THE TREES AT THE END OF THE RWY. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE TREES AND CRASHED ABOUT 1/2 MI BEYOND THE RWY.
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: 673 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,559 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 23, 1987; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LDJ Linden NJ at 2:15 pm
- Destination: ESP
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 2,535 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°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.