Mooney M20J N4126H

Summary

On 4 June 2007 at about 14:11 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N4126H was involved in an accident near Canton, Massachusetts, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 June 2007 at 14:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Canton, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Norwood Memorial Airport (OWD)

Coordinates

42.1750, -71.1644

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N4126H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pittstown → Norwood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC07FA130

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot had owned the airplane and flew it in actual instrument meteorological conditions for many years. The pilot successfully flew a localizer approach, and descended through a cloud layer into visual conditions about 500 feet above ground level. She was in radio contact with air traffic control when the airplane pitched up, then down, and descended rapidly into swampy terrain. During an approximately 45-day period prior to the accident flight, the pilot had experienced problems with the manual and electric pitch trim sticking or exhibiting stiffness when she attempted to move the trim toward the nose up position. The problem was addressed twice by a maintenance repair facility at the pilot's home airport, and once by an avionics repair facility; however, the pilot continued to report problems of trim stiffness. The pilot's husband, who was also a certificated pilot, did not notice any trim problems on a recent long cross-country flight. An examination of the wreckage, including the pitch trim system, did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. While the aft pitch trim jackscrew required slightly more force to turn toward the nose up position, verses the nose down position, the aft pitch trim jackscrew moved freely by hand in both directions. In addition, fresh grease was observed on both the forward and aft pitch trim jackscrews. The flaps were found fully extended, and the pitch trim was found in a nose up position, consistent with a normal approach and landing descent.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.