# Accident 20180803009809A: Mooney M20J, Lopez Island, WA, August 3, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 3, 2018, 00:02 local time
- Place: Lopez Island, WA
- Airport: Lopez Island Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 48.4914° N, 122.9422° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.4914&lon=-122.9422&mi=10
- Aircraft: N56039, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N56039-2019-04-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20J (registry code 5870219, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20j) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20J
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,485 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR18FA210](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR18FA210) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180803009809A

## Narrative

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

ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT OBSERVED BY COMMERCIAL PILOT WHO WAS IN FLIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. WITNESS REPORTS ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT ANNOUNCING INTENTIONS TO LAND AT LOPEZ ISLAND AIRPORT, MOVING SLOWLY JUST NORTH OF THE AIRPORT. SUBSEQUENTLY WITNESS OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT EXHIBIT A LOSS OF CONTROL AND A HELICAL FLIGHT PATH STRAIGHT DOWN TO THE POINT OF IMPACT WITH THE LOCAL TERRAIN.

## 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 WPR18FA210](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR18FA210), Aug 3, 2018: Mooney M20J (N56039), Lopez Island, WA, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering for landing, which resulted in a cross-control aerodynamic stall, spin, and impact with terrain. Contributing to…

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.

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