Mooney Well Below Approach Before Hitting Tower

The Mooney M20J that hit a power line tower in Maryland was well below the the approach the pilot was trying to fly, according the NTSB's preliminary report. Although the report does not determine cause, it does describe a long list of heading and altitude errors on the approach to Montgomery County Airpark, which ultimately ended with the Mooney hanging from wires and a tower about 100 feet above the ground. It also notes that the pilot of an aircraft ahead of the crash plane went missed because the airport was below minimums.

The report says the Mooney was 500-600 feet low on the final 5 nautical miles of the approach and actually briefly descended below the elevation of the airport in the last 2 nautical miles. It hit the tower and power lines 1.25 NM from the airport. In a 911 call after the crash, the pilot told a dispatcher that he "got down a little lower than I should have." The report says the pilot also questioned the accuracy of his altimeter in media interviews, but the altimeter was "well within" limits when tested. The 65-year-old pilot and his 66-year-old female passenger were seriously injured in the crash and power was disrupted to as many as 120,000 people during the seven hours it took to rescue the couple.