Mooney M-20 accident near Sandy, Oregon, June 14, 1982
On June 14, 1982 at about 3:00 am local time, a Mooney M-20, registered N231AW, was destroyed in an accident near Sandy, Oregon. 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 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
- June 14, 1982 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Sandy, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M-20 · all M-20s on the register
- Registration
- N231AW · no longer on the register · serial 25-0113
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED INTO RISING TERRAIN IN MARGINAL WEATHER CONDITIONS. NO FLT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE ACFT CRASHED 25 MILES FROM THE TAKEOFF POINT ON 6/12/82 AND WAS MISSING UNTIL 9/9/83. THE PILOT HAD RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING FROM PORTLAND FSS INDICATING CEILINGS OF 1400 TO 1500 FT AGL AND VISIBILITIES OF 4 TO 5 MILES IN LIGHT RAIN. THE REPORTING STATIONS ELEVATIONS RANGE FROM 23 TO 243 FT MSL. THE ACFT CRASHED AT AN ELEVATION OF 2300 FT MSL IN RISING TERRAIN. THE WRECKAGE INDICATED CONTACT WITH THE TREES WAS MADE IN LEVEL FLT AT HIGH CRUISING SPEED.
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: 700 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 650 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360GB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Muling OR at 7:50 pm
- Destination: Bend OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; scat at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 154°F (68°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from PDX, 31 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.