Mooney M20M N5287S

Summary

On 30 June 2025 at about 15:00 local time, a Mooney M20M registered N5287S was involved in an accident near Ben Bolt, Texas, United States. 3 people were 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

30 June 2025 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Ben Bolt, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Kleberg County (IKG)

Coordinates

27.5488, -98.0290

Aircraft

Mooney M20M

Registration

N5287S

Category

Airplane

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Worth → Kingsville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA228

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing with a crosswind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that storms were approaching as the airplane approached the airport. After crossing the arrival end of the runway, the pilot heard a wind shift while listening to the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS). He attempted a crosswind landing, the airplane bounced twice, and he attempted a go-around. The pilot noticed a positive rate of climb on the airplane’s altimeter, and he retracted the landing gear. The airplane then pitched up, yawed left, and the pilot attempted to level the wings using aileron and rudder, however the airplane would not respond to the pilot’s control inputs. The airplane impacted terrain and slid across the grass into a tree resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, engine mount, and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical issues with the airplane and that he lost control due to the strong wind and the initial bounced landing attempt. The pilot reported the wind to be variable at 13 to 20 kts at the time of the accident. The maximum demonstrated crosswind velocity for landing with the airplane is 13 kts.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.