Mooney M20K N252DR

Summary

On 10 December 2002 at about 18:15 local time, a Mooney M20K registered N252DR was involved in an accident near Eagle, Colorado, 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

10 December 2002 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Eagle, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Eagle County Regional (EGE)

Coordinates

39.6425, -106.9178

Aircraft

Mooney M20K

Registration

N252DR

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Eagle → Waco

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN03LA024

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's failure to remove protective coverings from the engine air scoops during the preflight inspection, resulting in air starvation and a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After the airplane lifted off the runway and climbed 50 feet (about 10 seconds into the flight), the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to land on the 2,000 feet of runway remaining. The pilot said there was insufficient runway to bring the airplane to a safe stop, so he elected to abort the landing. The airplane did not become airborne, but traveled approximately 300 feet before exiting the runway onto soft, muddy ground. The nose wheel collapsed and was torn off, wrinkling the fuselage behind the firewall. There was a 4-inch hole in the fuselage, and the horizontal stabilizer was also damaged. Airport emergency personnel who responded reported finding the protective coverings for the engine air scoops still in place.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.