Mooney M10 N9542V

Summary

On 24 June 2012 at about 15:30 local time, a Mooney M10 registered N9542V, operated by Matthew D. Sommer, was involved in an accident near Hurlock, Maryland, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 June 2012 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Hurlock, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Private Airstrip (N/A)

Coordinates

38.6797, -75.8606

Aircraft

Mooney M10

Registration

N9542V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Matthew D. Sommer

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Aldino → Hurlock

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA413

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to see and avoid power lines during final approach to landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he entered the airport traffic pattern for landing at the private airstrip. Aware of the unmarked power lines at the runway threshold, he used the top of one of the poles supporting the lines as a reference for altitude. After clearing the top of the pole, the pilot steepened his descent in order to land, but realized that additional power lines were still in the airplane’s flight path. The pilot applied full engine power in an attempt to clear the power lines, but the airplane’s landing gear struck the lines, and the airplane pitched downward. The airplane impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.