N370MMMooney Airplane M20TN · 2007

On September 10, 2015, about 1448 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20TN airplane, N370MM, impacted the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was owned by the pilot and the flight was being conducted as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions existed near the accident site about the time of the accident, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Gaylord Regional Airport (GLR), Gaylord, Michigan, about 1200 and was destined for Atlantic City International Airport (ACY), Atlantic City, New Jersey.

According to the pilot's logbook and a fuel receipt, he flew the accident airplane for 1 hour on September 7, 2015, and then fueled the airplane with 11.4 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel. There were no other fuel transactions or flights between that time and the day of the accident. The pilot reported in his flight plan that there was sufficient fuel onboard the airplane for 6 hours of flight.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) records, the airplane departed GLR about 1200, and at 1214:04, the pilot checked in and informed the controller that he was climbing from 17,600 to 21,000 ft mean sea level (msl). The controller then instructed the pilot to climb to 25,000 ft msl, and the pilot read back the assigned altitude and continued toward the destination.

About 23 minutes later, while the autopilot-equipped airplane was in cruise flight, the ARTCC controller attempted to contact the pilot with a frequency change; however, the pilot did not respond. The controllers' repeated attempts to contact the pilot throughout the remainder of the flight were unsuccessful as the airplane continued flying a straight course toward ACY at 25,000 ft msl. According to radar data, at 1438 and while about 5 miles northwest of ACY, the airplane began descending from 25,000 ft msl and continued to descend at an average descent rate of about 1,600 ft per minute on a southeast heading until it impacted the Atlantic Ocean about 8 minutes later. As the airplane was descending, two F-16 airplanes departed ACY to relay search and rescue information, and the pilots subsequently found debris.

According to the pilot's logbook, he held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane ratings. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on October 26, 2013, with no limitations. He recorded 4,900 hours of total flight experience, 2.5 hours of which were in the 90 days before the accident.

According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 2007 and registered to the pilot in December 2007. The most recent annual inspection was performed on June 12, 2015, at which time it had accumulated 472.2 total hours of time in service.

According to the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH), the airplane was equipped with extended range tanks where fuel was "carried in two integrally sealed sections of the forward, inboard area of the wing." The total usable fuel capacity was 102 gallons, 51 gallons per side. The pilot could set the fuel selector valve to the "left" tank, "right" tank, or "off" position via a recessed three-position handle aft of the console on the floor.

The airplane was also equipped with a four-place oxygen system that provided supplementary oxygen necessary for continuous flight at high altitude. Four oxygen outlets were provided in the overhead panel between the pilot and copilot seats. Oxygen would flow from the outlets only when a mask hose was connected. The pilot's mask was a permanent rebreathing-type mask with a vinyl plastic hose and a built-in microphone for radio communication while using oxygen. The oxygen cylinder filler valve was located under a spring-loaded door aft of the baggage door. When in service, the 77.1 cubic-ft tank could supply at least 11 hours of oxygen for a pilot-only operation depending on flight altitude. The airplane was equipped with an oxygen system quantity indicator in the pilot's arm rest. According to a receipt from the most recent annual inspection, the oxygen bottle was serviced at that time. Further, according to stickers placed on the oxygen regulator and the tank, they were both overhauled in May 2013.

Review of the Mooney 100 Hour-Annual Inspection Guide revealed that it included an inspection of the "oxygen system for leaks, proper ON/OFF valve operation & filler for safety of operation…"

At 1454, the weather reported at ACY indicated variable wind at 4 knots, 10 miles visibility, few clouds at 700 and 3,400 ft above ground level, temperature 24°C, dew point 22°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.75 inches of mercury.

According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 2007 and registered to the pilot in December 2007. The most recent annual inspection was performed on June 12, 2015, at which time it had accumulated 472.2 total hours of time in service.

According to the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH), the airplane was equipped with extended range tanks where fuel was "carried in two integrally sealed sections of the forward, inboard area of the wing." The total usable fuel capacity was 102 gallons, 51 gallons per side. The pilot could set the fuel selector valve to the "left" tank, "right" tank, or "off" position via a recessed three-position handle aft of the console on the floor.

The airplane was also equipped with a four-place oxygen system that provided supplementary oxygen necessary for continuous flight at high altitude. Four oxygen outlets were provided in the overhead panel between the pilot and copilot seats. Oxygen would flow from the outlets only when a mask hose was connected. The pilot's mask was a permanent rebreathing-type mask with a vinyl plastic hose and a built-in microphone for radio communication while using oxygen. The oxygen cylinder filler valve was located under a spring-loaded door aft of the baggage door. When in service, the 77.1 cubic-ft tank could supply at least 11 hours of oxygen for a pilot-only operation depending on flight altitude. The airplane was equipped with an oxygen system quantity indicator in the pilot's arm rest. According to a receipt from the most recent annual inspection, the oxygen bottle was serviced at that time. Further, according to stickers placed on the oxygen regulator and the tank, they were both overhauled in May 2013.

Review of the Mooney 100 Hour-Annual Inspection Guide revealed that it included an inspection of the "oxygen system for leaks, proper ON/OFF valve operation & filler for safety of operation…"

The airplane was located by the United States Coast Guard off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, in about 45-ft-deep water. On September 12, 2015, the airplane was recovered and moved to a salvage facility to facilitate further examination.

The fuselage was severely impact damaged. The inboard 2-ft-long section of the left wing remained attached to the fuselage. The outboard section of the left wing was impact separated and not recovered. The empennage was impact separated from the fuselage. The vertical stabilizer and rudder remained attached to the empennage. The bottom 1-ft-long section of the rudder exhibited impact damage. The left horizontal stabilizer and elevator remained attached to the empennage at all attachment points. The left and right elevator counterweights were impact separated and not recovered. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator remained attached to the empennage but was impact damaged in the positive direction. The right wing was impact separated from the fuselage and not recovered. Control cable continuity was confirmed from the rudder and elevator to the cockpit through control tube fractures and separations. In addition, control continuity was established from the yoke to both wing roots through control tube fractures and separations.

Both front seats remained attached to the fuselage. Two oxygen lines were secured to the top portion of the cabin. An oxygen pulse oximeter was located in the cabin area of the wreckage, and the pilot was found wearing an oxygen mask. A Hobbs meter was located in the aft section of the fuselage and indicated 477.2 hours of flight time.

The engine was impact separated from the airframe. The rocker box covers were removed, and engine continuity was confirmed from the propeller through the aft section of the engine. All three propeller blades were bent; two of the blades were bent in the same direction, and the third blade was bent in the opposite direction. The fuel line from the fuel manifold valve to the fuel metering unit was removed, and a drop of fluid was noted coming out of the line. The fluid had an odor similar to 100 LL aviation fuel. There were no preimpact anomalies noted with the engine that would have precluded normal operation.

An oxygen tank was located aft of the aft bulkhead. An elbow fitting that was connected to the oxygen regulator assembly, which connected an oxygen line to the tank, was found loose. The fitting could be moved in both directions by hand without resistance.

Three Garmin G1000 SD cards were removed from the wreckage and sent to the NTSB Recorders Laboratory for data download. The G1000 SD cards contained firmware versions and navigation databases that did not record data. No accident data were recovered from the SD cards.

Performance Calculations

According to the POH, the fuel consumption for the flight using best-power performance data at 25,000 ft pressure altitude, depending on the selected manifold pressure and outside air temperature, would have been between 12.0 and 22.6 gallons of fuel per hour.

Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge – Hypoxia

According to the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapter 17, "Aeromedical Factors,"

Hypoxia means 'reduced oxygen' or 'not enough oxygen.'… Hypoxia can be caused by several factors, including an insufficient supply of oxygen, inadequate transportation of oxygen, or the inability of the body tissues to use oxygen…High-altitude flying can place a pilot in danger of becoming hypoxic. Oxygen starvation causes the brain and other vital organs to become impaired…the symptoms of hypoxia vary with the individual.…As altitude increases above 10,000 feet, the symptoms of hypoxia increase in severity, and the time of useful consciousness rapidly decreases.

According to the time of useful consciousness chart in the handbook, a pilot has 3 to 5 minutes of useful consciousness at 25,000 ft msl.

The Office of the State Medical Examiner for the State of New Jersey performed an autopsy on the pilot. The autopsy report indicated that the pilot died due to "multiple blunt injuries."

The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological testing of fluid and tissue specimens from the pilot. The specimens tested negative for carbon monoxide, and 26 mg/dL ethanol was detected in the blood. No ethanol was detected in muscle and brain tissue specimens. Diphenhydramine was detected in the liver, and 0.071 ug/ml diphenhydramine was detected in the blood. In addition, chlorthalidone was detected in the liver and blood.

Ethanol can be produced in tissues by postmortem microbial activity, which can result in considerable variations in levels in different tissues. Ingested alcohol is generally distributed throughout the body and levels in different postmortem tissues are usually similar.

Diphenhydramine is a sedating antihistamine used to treat allergy symptoms and as a sleep aid and carries the following Federal Drug Administration warning: "May impair mental and/or physical ability required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks (e.g. driving, operating heavy machinery)." Diphenhydramine may also result in altered mood and impaired cognitive and psychomotor performance.. In fact, in a driving simulator study, a single dose of diphenhydramine impaired driving ability more than a blood alcohol concentration of 0.100%. The therapeutic range for diphenhydramine is 0.0250 to 0.1120 ug/ml. Diphenhydramine undergoes postmortem redistribution, which can result in central postmortem levels being about two to three times higher than peripheral levels. Chlorthalidone is a diuretic prescription blood pressure medication that may decrease the recurrence of kidney stones and is not considered impairing.