CEN23LA238

NTSB accident investigation · Mooney M10 · Gassville, AR · June 12, 2023

Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal report
Date
June 11, 2023, 19:54 local (Jun 12, 2023, 00:54 UTC)
Place
Gassville, AR
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Takeoff
Aircraft
N9523VMooney M10
Defining event
Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed
Report
Approved by Office Director
Investigation class
Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20230611007669A
Case key
192359

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’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during takeoff with a quartering tailwind.

Findings · 2

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.

Use of equip/info: aircraft controlPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotMooney M10: 1 caseAll aircraft: 9,295 casesProbable cause
Performance/control parameters: crosswind correctionAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedMooney M10: 1 caseAll aircraft: 184 casesProbable cause

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 that he and the passenger departed his home airport and flew with another airplane to a private grass strip about 5 nm to the east. They both landed and were on the ground for about an hour. They noticed a storm building in the area and prepared to leave. The north-south runway sloped up to the north and featured tall trees on the north departure end. The pilot stated that he “opted to takeoff from the north to the south even though there was a building northwest wind.” Upon rotation, he heard the airplane’s stall warning horn, so he lowered the nose to gain airspeed, but the airplane was “very mushy, and was not gaining altitude.” The pilot struggled to maintain control as the wind pushed the airplane to the east. The airplane collided with a fence and telephone pole, then continued across a road and impacted several trees before coming to a stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the empennage, and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He added that the other airplane departed to the south without incident.

Aircraft

Registration
N9523V
Reported as
Mooney M10
Category
Airplane
Serial number
700013
Built
1969
Airframe hours
1,912
Engine
Continental Motors C90-16F, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Harrison Doug A
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
100 hour · January 8, 2023
Destination
FLP · Flippin, AR
Airport
pvt · Roller Field, runway 18, 2,500 × 75 ft, grass/turf
Equipment
Electronic flight bag or handheld device

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
60
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 2, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
March 4, 2023
Seat
Left
Restraint
Lap only
Flight hours
343 total · 55 in this make and model · 320 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
360° at 6 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
1,300 ft overcast
Temperature
72 °F, dew point 68 °F
Altimeter
29.82 inHg
Observed at
KFLP, 5 nm away
METAR
KFLP 120056Z AUTO 36006KT 10SM OVC013 22/20 A2982 RMK AO2 SLP093 T02170200

Docket · 2

The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 27, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 13.2 MB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.