On 10/23/00 at 2:40pm, the Mooney M-20J N40VF collided with mountainous terrain while maneuvering in the area of Wheaton Springs, California. The airplane was destroyed and the pilot and his passenger were killed. The flight originated from the Mesquite Airport, Mesquite, Nevada and was destined for Fallbrook, California. The flight was approximately 35 miles southwest of Las Vegas when the pilot advised Las Vegas departure control that he was in the clouds and was picking up ice. In his last radio transmission, the pilot stated that he was turning around en route to Jean, Nevada. Radar contact was lost at 2:38pm. When the aircraft did not arrive at Jean, or his final destination in Fallbrook, a search commenced. On 10/24/00, at 4:15pm, the aircraft was found on 70-degree slope in the Ivanpah Mountains near the California/Nevada border.

Looking up at the small valley the Mooney came down in.

This is the first piece of wreckage I came upon while hiking up the valley.

Another piece of wreckage.

I was finding more pieces as I continuing up the valley. This one is made of fiberglass.

Another fiberglass piece.

This one is marked with NO STEP, maybe from one of the flaps.

The back and headrest from one of the seats.

Another fiberglass piece. It has an antenna mount on it.

Close up of the antenna mount.

The other side had a piece of sheet metal for the antenna ground plane.

Looking back at some of the wreckage in the valley as I climb the slope towards the impact area.

A piece from the windshield.

Another seat back and headrest.

Looking up the steep slope that most of the remaining wreckage was scattered on.

Looks like this is from the ADF receiver.

Headphones

Cabin air vent.

The other side of the vent.

One of the rudder pedals.

A piece from one of the control wheels with the radio push to talk button.

On the top, it has the control switch for the elevator trim.

The amp gauge.

This piece has a part number, manufacture date, work order number, and inspection stamp.

These look like house keys, also found another set. Finding personal items at crash sites is always a little unnerving for me.

Another air vent.

Seatbelt buckle.

Thought this was a pocket watch.

Turned out to be a compass.

Knob from an oxygen bottle.

Part of the fuselage frame is attach to this piece.

The jacks for the microphone and headphones.

Part of the instrument panel. The landing gear lever would have been in the upper right.

The housing for the turn coordinator.

Another piece of the instrument panel.

Some of the communication controls.

The switch housing for the emergency locator transmitter, ELT.

The field winding and armature from the alternator.

Pieces from one of the wheels.

The heading indictor.

Front of the unit.

The backside of the unit.

Part of the exhaust manifold.

Fiberglass piece with dark blue paint.

There is a hinge on this piece.

An access cover.

The face plate from a GPS unit, looks like it might be a Garmin unit.

Don't know which unit this is from, but one of the components was marked with the Bendix/King name.