- Date
- May 31, 1996, 10:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Festus, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9532MMooney M20F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 16, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960531012371A
- Case key
- 10263
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 not maintaining proper alignment with the runway and his inadequate compensation for wind conditions. A factor was the crosswind condition.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he was unable to regain alignment with the runway after a gust of wind moved the airplane to the left of the runway. The left wing dragged on the ground, the airplane turned to the left, and impacted a hangar. The airplane was landing on runway 18. The pilot said the wind was from 190 to 270 degrees at 15 knots with gusts to 20 knots at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
On May 31, 1996, at 1000 central daylight time, a Mooney M20F, N9532M, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the terrain and a hangar. The private pilot was landing the airplane on runway 18 (2,202' x 49' dry/asphalt) at Festus, Missouri, when the airplane drug the left wing and turned left from the intended landing runway. The pilot reported no injuries. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file. The flight departed Inverness, Florida, at 0500.
The pilot stated that he was attempting to land when a "strong gust of wind" moved the airplane to the left of the runway. He was unable to regain alignment with the runway prior to the left wing dragging the ground and the airplane then ran into a hangar. The pilot stated that he usually used 10 degrees of landing flap; however due to the 2,202 foot runway length, he elected to use 20 degrees of flap for this landing. The pilot did not report any mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident and an examination of the wreckage did not reveal anything other than impact damage.
The pilot reported the winds to be from 190 to 270 degrees at 15 knots with gusts to 20 knots. A weather reporting station 70 miles to the southeast was reporting winds from 120 degrees at 9 knots, 17 minutes prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9532M
- Reported as
- Mooney M20F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 670109
- Airframe hours
- 4,227
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Donald J. Hill
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 7, 1995 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- X40 · Inverness, FL
- Destination
- FES
- Airport
- FES · Festus Memorial, runway 18, 2,202 × 49 ft, asphalt
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 605 total · 26 in this make and model · 26 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CGI, 70 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.