Mooney M20M N17RA

Summary

On 4 July 2008 at about 17:48 local time, a Mooney M20M registered N17RA, operated by ROBERT and VIRGINIA BRISBIN, was involved in an accident near Elbert, 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

4 July 2008 at 17:48

Classification

Accident

Location

Elbert, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Kelly Airpark (CO15)

Coordinates

39.2247, -104.6400

Aircraft

Mooney M20M

Registration

N17RA

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

ROBERT and VIRGINIA BRISBIN

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Centennial Apt → Kelly Airpark

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN08LA118

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during a go-around, resulting in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the high density altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was performing a visual approach and full stop landing. During the landing, the nose gear struck the runway and the pilot initiated a go-around. He stated that he applied power for a go-around, began a positive rate of climb and retracted the flaps to the first setting per the Pilot Operating Handbook procedures. He saw that he was sinking and pushed the throttle to the firewall. He said that the engine did not respond properly and the airplane settled back to the ground, striking the tail and landing left of the departure end of the runway. The airplane traveled several hundred feet before stopping on its belly. The pilot estimated the airplane gross weight at 2,980 pounds at the time of the accident. One witness stated they "saw the Mooney headed north at slow speed, nose high attitude. [The pilot] added power and it mushed down." A second witness said, "when I saw the nose attitude of the aircraft (very nose high) with gear extended I knew they were in trouble." A third witness who saw the initial takeoff in the morning said it was not a great takeoff and the airplane did not sound as strong as the other two 300 hp airplanes on the airfield. He also witnessed a portion of the final go-around and said the airplane "seemed a little slow and steep on the go around." The Density altitude was calculated at 9,674 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.