Mooney M20C N7171U

Summary

On 2 September 1995 at about 18:05 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N7171U was involved in an accident near Ironwood, Michigan, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 September 1995 at 18:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Ironwood, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Gogebic County (IWD)

Coordinates

46.4495, -90.1508

Aircraft

Mooney M20C

Registration

N7171U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Paragould

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI95LA312

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane due to his diverted attention.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that immediately after liftoff the passenger asked him if he wanted the map. The pilot told the passenger that he would need it, but not right now. The passenger then placed the map between the seats for the pilot's future use. The pilot reported that as he tried to retract and lock the landing gear with the gear handle, he noticed that the handle would not lock down into place because the map was in the way. The pilot stated he released the handle, threw the map in the back seat, and reached for the handle again. In the meantime, the landing gear had lowered, the airplane pitched down and impacted the runway. The pilot's recommendation as to how the accident could have been prevented was: 'By not taking my eyes off [the] runway.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.