Mooney M20K accident near Counts, Virginia, March 12, 1999
On March 12, 1999 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N231HU, was destroyed in an accident near Counts, Virginia. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 12, 1999 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Counts, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N231HU · no longer on the register · serial 25-0268
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed when it impacted mountainous terrain at a 55-degree descent angle. The pilot was returning from a business trip where he had attempted to sell the airplane. The sale was not completed based upon the results of a pre-sale inspection. The pilot was seen as visibly upset, and departed the airport for his home field. No flight plan was filed, and the pilot was never in contact with air traffic control facilities. Radar coverage revealed that, during the approximately 35-minute flight, the airplane climbed to, and maintained 8,700 feet until about 3 minutes prior to the accident. The airplane descended, then leveled off, then descended again, and impacted terrain around an elevation of 1,750 feet. The estimated rate of the final decent was initially 1,800 feet per minute, which increased to 6,400 feet per minute. In flight, the airplane's track over the ground had been about 325 degrees magnetic. However, the swath cut through the trees at the accident site was approximately 030 degrees magnetic. The private pilot received his certificate less than 4 months earlier.
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: 167 hours in all; 116 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,991 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, March 12, 1999; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-GB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 14A Mooresville NC at 4:50 pm
- Destination: I69 Batavia OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from BLF, 55 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.
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.