Mooney M20J N201VA

Summary

On 19 March 2014 at about 22:24 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N201VA was involved in an accident near Lamar, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

19 March 2014 at 22:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Lamar, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Pvt (PVT)

Coordinates

38.2114, -102.6008

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N201VA

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lamar → Lamar

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14CA440

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot allowed the airplane to liftoff without sufficient airspeed which resulted in a stall and subsequent impact with the terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported he had not flown the airplane for years, but once or twice a year, he would taxi the airplane up and down his private airstrip. He stated that on this occasion, he was taxied the airplane on the airstrip, and for some unknown reason, he decided to pull back on the yoke and allow the airplane to become airborne. The airplane did not have sufficient airspeed to stay airborne. The airplane stalled and impacted the terrain in a nose down attitude resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane which would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.