- Date
- March 19, 2014, 15:24 local (22:24 UTC)
- Place
- Lamar, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N201VAMooney M20J
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 89916
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot allowed the airplane to liftoff without sufficient airspeed which resulted in a stall and subsequent impact with the terrain.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
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.
Factual 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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N201VA
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-0299
- Built
- 1977
- Engine
- Lycoming I0360 SER, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PVT · Lamar, CO
- Destination
- PVT · Lamar, CO
- Airport
- PVT · Pvt, runway 18, 2,500 × 50 ft, dirt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 69
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- LAA, 11 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 6, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 MB in all.