Mooney M20K accident near Blue Ash, Ohio, October 31, 1993
On October 31, 1993 at about 3:50 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N252G, was destroyed in an accident near Blue Ash, Ohio (Cincinnati-Blue Ash airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate inflight decision to conduct flight into known icing conditions and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Factors were icing conditions and the pilot's failure to follow the preflight briefing advisory.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 1993 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Blue Ash, Ohio · Cincinnati-Blue Ash · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N252G · registry record · serial 25-1017
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT INITIATED AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH TO RUNWAY 24 AND AS HE FLEW OVER THE AIRPORT, ANNOUNCED OVER UNICOM THAT HE WAS GOING TO CIRCLE FOR RUNWAY 24. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT WHILE THE AIRPLANE WAS IN A LEFT TURN, THE NOSE DROPPED AND IT ENTERED A LEFT SPIN. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE ROOF OF A BUILDING, FELL TO THE GROUND FLOOR AND BURNED. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION DID NOT FIND ANY FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WITH THE ENGINE OR AIRFRAME. PRIOR TO DEPARTURE THE PILOT RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING AND WAS ADVISED NOT TO MAKE THE FLIGHT DUE TO FORECAST ICING CONDITIONS. THE PILOT FLEW OVER 2 HOURS AT ALTITUDES WITH TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING, AND THEN DESCENDED INTO AN AREA OF KNOWN ICING CONDITIONS AND FALLING SNOW. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT CERTIFICATED FOR FLIGHT IN KNOWN ICING CONDITIONS.
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: 274 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 187 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 21, 1992; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-MB1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CRG Jacksonville FL at 12:27 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from LUK, 9 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N252G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.