N231JF

History of Flight

On November 12, 2014, at 1735 (all times are mountain standard time), a Mooney M20K airplane, N231JF, collided with the terrain in Clines Corners, New Mexico. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post impact fire. The airplane was registered to KI Aircraft LLC and was being operated by a private individual as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Localized instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight which was not operated on a flight plan. The flight originated from the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport (AMA), Amarillo, Texas, at 1616. The intended destination for the flight was the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona.According to personnel at the fixed base operator (FBO) in AMA, the pilot landed the airplane and taxied to the FBO about 1525. The pilot instructed the line personnel to "top off" the airplane with fuel. FBO personnel reported there was a "light blowing sleet" at the time, but that the airplane was free of any ice. The pilot left the FBO to eat and when he returned, he asked the customer service representative (CSR) if she knew of any airplanes at their facility that had just arrived from or were departing for Phoenix. The CSR replied that there were none. The pilot then struck up a conversation with two business jet pilots who were in the lobby. The FBO manager stated he spoke with the pilot and because the weather was deteriorating, he offered to put the pilot's airplane in a heated hangar for the night. The pilot stated he was not staying the night and that he would be departing shortly. FBO personnel stated that after departing the FBO, the pilot performed an engine run-up and contacted air traffic control for his taxi clearance.

One of the corporate jet pilots recalled the accident pilot asking if anyone was going to Phoenix. The accident pilot then asked him if he knew the altitudes of the cloud ceiling and cloud tops. The accident pilot explained that he was trying to get to Phoenix and he was wondering if the cloud layer was thin enough for him to get through it. The business pilot stated that he flew in from the east and that when they were on top of the clouds, the cloud layer below them extended as far as they could see. He also informed the pilot that they encountered rime and clear ice during their descent into AMA. The accident pilot then questioned himself out loud as to whether or not he would be able to stay below the weather. They discussed the mountains located east of Albuquerque. The accident pilot opened his "tablet" and looked at a satellite image pointing out where he thought the cloud layer ended east of Santa Rosa, New Mexico. The business pilot told the accident pilot that a weather briefer would be able to give him information regarding the ceilings heights along his planned route. The accident pilot thanked him and departed the FBO.

The pilot received visual flight rules (VFR) flight following from air traffic control during the flight. While in contact with the Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZAB), the pilot reported that the airplane was "starting to collect some ice" and requested information regarding the tops of the cloud layer. The pilot stated that he was going to have to turn around to return to AMA. The controller offered the pilot several other airports in the area, but the accident flight continued westbound. The controller questioned the pilot regarding the weather conditions and asked if he was aware of the terrain along the route. The pilot reported that he was familiar with the terrain and that he was below the clouds. The pilot then stated that he was going to fly to the Moriarty Airport (OEO), which was about 28 miles west of his current position.

Radar contact and communication with the airplane were lost about 1735. The wreckage was located in a field just west of Route 285, 7 ½ miles north of I-40 in Clines Corners, New Mexico.

Personnel Information

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating issued on March 21, 2004. He was issued a third class airman medical certificate with no restrictions on March 20, 2014. The pilot was not instrument rated.

Two of the pilot's logbooks were made available for review during the investigation. One logbook contained entries from January 5, 2004 through February 17, 2005. The second logbook contained entries from March 19, 2014 through June 5, 2014. There were 28 additional undated entries, most of which did not have any flight time associated with them. A total of the recorded flight times indicate the pilot had a total flight time of 285.4 hours. Of this time, 27.6 hours were flown in the accident airplane.

FAA records show that on August 17, 2014, they conducted an investigation of a Pilot Deviation involving the accident pilot. According to the deviation report, the pilot unintentionally entered Class A airspace without a clearance or an instrument rating while attempting to climb out of weather.

Aircraft Information

The accident airplane was a Mooney M20K, serial number 25-0075. The Mooney M20K is a single-engine, four-place design, with retractable tricycle landing gear. The airplane was powered by a 210-horsepower, Continental Motors TSIO-360-C six-cylinder, reciprocating engine, serial number 309079. The airplane was equipped with a two-blade McCauley model 2A34C316-B propeller assembly.

Records show the pilot purchased the airplane on May 10, 2014. The last aircraft logbook contained entries from July 30, 2009, through May 14, 2014. The last airframe annual inspection was completed on May 9, 2014, at a Hobbs time of 390.7 hours and a tachometer time of 8.2 hours. The last entry in the aircraft logbooks was dated May 14, 2014, which was for the transponder, encoding altimeter, and static system check. The last aircraft total time that was listed in the logbook was 3,445.5 hours on December 17, 2012, at a Hobbs time of 380.9 hours.

The last engine logbook contained entries from July 30, 2009, through May 14, 2014. The last engine annual inspection was competed on May 9, 2014, at an engine total time of 3,455.3 hours and a time since major overhaul of 1,727.3 hours.

The total time on the aircraft and engine at the time of the accident could not be determined from the logbook information collected during the investigation.

The pilot requested the airplane be filled with fuel with fuel before his last departure. Fueling records indicate the airplane was fueled with 20.9 gallons of 100LL.

Meteorological Information

The Clines Corners, New Mexico (CQC), Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), is located about 7 miles south-southeast of the accident site. At 1732, the CQC ASOS recorded weather conditions as: wind from 120 degrees at 15 knots; visibility 4 miles with light snow and mist; broken clouds at 800 feet above ground level (agl); temperature minus 12 degrees Celsius (C); dew point minus 14 degrees C; altimeter 30.13 inches of mercury.

The Moriarty Airport (0E0) in Moriarty, New Mexico, is located 16 miles west-southwest of the accident site. At 1735, the 0E0 ASOS recorded weather conditions as: wind 130 at 8 knots; visibility 10 miles or greater; overcast clouds at 2,000 ft agl; temperature minus 8 degrees C; dew point minus 13 degrees C; altimeter 30.22 inches of mercury.

The Santa Fe Municipal Airport (SAF) ASOS was located about 41 miles northwest of the accident site. At 1733, the SAF ASOS recorded weather conditions as: wind from 140 degrees at 23 knots gusting to 30 knots; visibility 10 miles or greater; broken clouds at 1,500 ft agl; temperature minus 7 degrees Celsius; dew point minus 14 degrees Celsius; altimeter 30.12 inches of mercury.

The Albuquerque International Sunport Airport (ABQ) ASOS was located about 51 miles west of the accident site. At 1752, the ABQ ASOS recorded weather conditions as: wind from 080 degrees at 25 knots; visibility 10 miles or greater; few clouds at 4,000 ft agl, few clouds at 8,000 ft agl; temperature 0 degrees Celsius; dew point minus 11 degrees Celsius; altimeter 30.07 inches of mercury.

Atmospheric data was retrieved from 1700 Rawinsonde launches from ABQ and AMA, where each launch likely retrieved low-level meteorological data beginning between 1600 and 1630. The ABQ sounding showed two temperature inversions with one located just above the surface and the other surrounding an altitude of 9,000 ft above mean sea level (msl). The freezing level was about 8,400 ft msl. Above the freezing level, the temperature increased to 3 degrees C at about 9,500 ft msl and remained above freezing up to 11,000 ft msl. Wind near the surface was from the east at 20 knots. The wind then changed to the south at 10 knots at about 7,000 ft msl, and to a westerly wind of 25 knots at about 10,000 ft msl. Assessments of icing made by the Universal Rawinsonde Observation program (RAOB) for this sounding did not identify any icing potential.

The AMA sounding showed multiple temperature inversions, with several in the layer between 6,000 and 8,000 ft msl. Another inversion was located between 12,200 and 13,700 ft msl. The entire atmosphere was below freezing. Wind near the surface was from the northeast at 10 knots. The wind changed above the surface, becoming a west wind at 45 knots at an altitude of 9,000 msl. Assessments of icing made by the RAOB for this sounding identified the potential for moderate rime and clear icing along with the potential for significant turbulence between 7,000 and 9,000 ft msl.

The 1528 area forecast issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) in Albuquerque, called for instrument flight rule (IFR) and marginal visual flight rule (MVFR) conditions at the central and eastern terminal sites. The 1652 area forecast called for areas of MVFR to IFR ceilings and visibility in light snow, mist, and freezing fog near the northeast New Mexico border as we...