Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB WPR11FA335
MOONEY M20C — Grace, ID
| Date | July 18, 2011 |
| Location | Grace, ID |
| Aircraft | MOONEY M20C |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 46 |
| Pilot total time | 600 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 303 hrs |
| Fatalities | 3 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
What happened
Witnesses in the area observed the airplane make a slight right bank turn followed by a left bank turn toward the runway. The left bank increased to about 45 degrees, before the airplane “dropped” to the ground. Data extracted from the on-board GPS unit indicated that the pilot overshot the extended runway centerline while on the base leg then made a tight left turn back toward the centerline. The airplane impacted the ground, coming to rest less than 1 mile from the approach end of the runway. Given the witness statements and the GPS track, it is likely that the pilot overcorrected the airplane’s course by making a steep turn at low speed, which led to a stall. A postaccident examination of the engine, airframe, and related systems revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.