# Accident 20150316002479A: Mooney Aircraft Corp. M20K, Laurel, MD, March 16, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 16, 2015, 19:57 local time
- Place: Laurel, MD
- Airport: Suburban Airpark
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.0769° N, 76.8281° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.0769&lon=-76.8281&mi=10
- Aircraft: N231KA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N231KA-2015-06-02) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20K (registry code 5870220, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20k) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental TSIO-360 series (registry code 17019, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY AIRCRAFT CORP. M20K
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR TSIO-360 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,302 total, 210 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA15CA157](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15CA157) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150316002479A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO ACTIVATE THE RUNWAY LIGHTS OF RUNWAY 21 BUT ONLY THE LEFT LIGHTS CAME ON.  HE DID A FLYBY TO TRY AND DETERMINE ON WHICH SIDE OF THE RUNWAY THE LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED.  HE DECIDED THAT THE RIGHT SIDE LIGHTS WERE ON (THEY WERE NOT) AND ELECTED TO LAND TO THE LEFT OF THE ILLUMINATED LIGHTS.  THIS RESULTED IN A LANDING ON THE GRASS NEXT TO THE RUNWAY AND IMPACT WITH THE VASI BOARDS INSTALLED THERE.  MUDDY CONDITIONS CAUSED THE MAIN GEAR TO DIG IN AND THE RIGHT GEAR COLLAPSED.  THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING AND EMPANNAGE.  THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA15CA157](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15CA157), Mar 16, 2015: Mooney M20K (N231KA), Laurel, MD, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's improper decision to attempt a nighttime landing at an unsuitable airport, which resulted in a collision with the precision approach path indicator.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.