N111JPMooney M20J

On May 8, 2019, about 1630 central daylight time, a Mooney M20J airplane, N111JP, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Moose Lake, Minnesota. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business flight

According to colleagues, the pilot arrived at the hospital the morning of the accident for his scheduled shift and worked all day. Federal Aviation Administration records indicate that the pilot obtained a weather briefing from flight service station at 1541. Colleagues noted that he left the hospital around 1600 and drove to the airport about 5 minutes away. According to flight service station records, he received his instrument flight rules clearance, via telephone, at 1628 and was issued an instrument clearance with a void time of 1635.The business flight was enroute to Crystal Airport (MIC), Minneapolis, Minnesota.

One witness heard the airplane take off toward the north from the non-towered airport and turn west before the engine stopped abruptly. The witness did not report what he heard to law enforcement until after he heard about the accident on the radio.

When the pilot did not check in with air traffic control, a search for the airplane and the pilot was initiated. The airport manager returned to the airport about 1700 and the airplane was not there. Local law enforcement and fire/rescue personnel located the wreckage of the airplane the next morning about 1/4 mile to the northwest of the Moose Lake Carlton County Airport (MZH) in the Moose Horn River.

There were no air traffic control services provided during the flight and no radar data was available.

The closest official weather observation station was located just east of the accident site at Moose Lake Carlton County Airport. The routine aviation weather observation for KMZH issued at 1536 reported wind at 040° at 7 knots, gusting to 15 knots, visibility 5 miles with rain, sky condition overcast clouds at 1,400 ft, temperature 2° C, dewpoint temperature 0°C. The observation issued at 1615 reported wind 040° at 11 knots, gusting to 16 knots, visibility 2.5 miles with light snow, sky condition overcast clouds at 800 ft, temperature 1° C, dewpoint temperature 0° C. The observation issued at 1655 reported wind 040° at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots, visibility 1 mile with light snow, sky condition overcast clouds at 600 ft.

Weather radar data from Duluth, Minnesota (KLDH), located 35 miles northeast of the accident site, depicted both dry snow and graupel above and south of the accident location. The wind profile for KLDH depicted wind between 2,000 and 4,000 ft east-northeast at 30 to 35 knots.

Multiple witnesses in the area reported large wet snowflakes than initially melted on impact but over an hour about an inch and a half to two inches of snow accumulated on the ground and vehicle surfaces. The roads were slippery.

AIRMETS for icing, turbulence, and instrument meteorological conditions were issued for the accident site over the time of the accident.

The airplane was parked outside on the day of the accident. A witness at the airport was unaware of any tools that the pilot had access to clear snow or ice from the airplane before the flight. Investigators were unable to determine how much snow may have accumulated on the airplane before the flight or if the pilot removed any wing contamination before he took off.

The airplane came to rest near the west bank of the river in about 2 to 4 ft of water. The engine and propeller were imbedded in the mud and silt on the bank of the river and the tail was extended into the air. When first responders arrived on scene the next morning, the visible portion of the empennage was covered in snow as illustrated in figure 1.

Figure 1. Empennage covered in snow (provided by LEO).

The airplane was recovered from the river and relocated to a hangar for further examination. Both the right and left aileron were damaged, and full range flight control continuity could not be confirmed. The flaps and landing gear appeared to be retracted. The leading edge of both wings exhibited accordion-type crush signatures and was rolled up and aft. The forward fuselage was crushed up and aft about 45°. The elevator and rudder controls were free and correct. The examination of the airframe did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operations.

The engine was impact separated and the propeller assembly remained attached at the hub. An examination of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. Signatures on the propeller blades were consistent with rotation at the time of impact.

The autopsy report for the pilot attributed the cause of death to multiple blunt-force injuries. FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory toxicology testing detected the sedating medication clonazepam in cavity blood and its inactive metabolite 7-aminoclonazepam in cavity blood (15 nanograms per milliliter [ng/ml]) and in liver tissue. Clonazepam is commonly marketed as Klonopin and according to a family member the pilot was taking it for restless leg syndrome.