- Date
- October 14, 2003, 15:56 local (21:56 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Junction, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5659LMooney M20K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Salt Lake City FSDO
- FAA report
- 20031014026529A
- Case key
- 58180
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 improper flare and his failure to maintain airspeed resulting in a stall and hard landing.
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
According to the pilot, he had completed an uneventful touch-and-go landing on runway 29 using an approach speed of 67 knots. On the second touch-and-go landing, he used an approach speed of 70 knots. He stated that the airplane's airspeed was stable around the pattern. However, just short of the runway, at approximately 30 feet agl, he encountered a slight "burble." He initiated full power, and when he dropped the nose of the airplane a few degrees, he encountered a second "burble." The pilot stated that "the airplane literally fell out of the sky" and struck the runway. The impact with the runway separated the right main landing gear and the separated right main landing gear struck the right horizontal stabilizer. The nose landing gear collapsed, the right wing tip and propeller struck the runway, and the airplane slid approximately 150 feet. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar and the right horizontal stabilizer. The reported weather conditions at 1553 and 1604, indicated a shift in wind, from 310 degrees at 5 knots to 280 degrees at 8 knots respectively.
Factual narrative
On October 14, 2003, at 1556 mountain standard time, a Mooney M20K, N5659L, operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Walker Field (GJT), Grand Junction, Colorado. The airline transport certificated pilot, and an airline transport certificated passenger, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for this local flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at approximately 1530.
According to the pilot, he had completed an uneventful touch-and-go landing on runway 29 using an approach speed of 67 knots. On the second touch-and-go landing, he used an approach speed of 70 knots. The airplane's airspeed was stable around the pattern. Just short of the runway, at approximately 30 feet agl, he encountered a slight "burble." He initiated full power, and as he dropped the nose of the airplane a few degrees, he encountered a second "burble." The pilot stated that "the airplane literally fell out of the sky" and struck the runway. The impact with the runway separated the right main landing gear and the separated right main landing gear struck the right horizontal stabilizer. The nose landing gear collapsed, the right wing tip and propeller struck the runway, and the airplane slid approximately 150 feet. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar and the right horizontal stabilizer.
At 1553, the reported weather at Walker Field (elevation 4,858 feet msl) was: wind, 310 degrees at 8 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; sky condition, clear; temperature, 19 degrees C.; dew point, minus 17 degrees C.; altimeter setting, 30.08. The calculated density altitude was 6,327 feet msl.
At 1604, the reported weather at Walker Field was: wind, 280 degrees at 5 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; sky condition, clear; temperature, 19 degrees C.; dew point, minus 16 degrees C.; altimeter setting, 30.07. The calculated density altitude was 6,336 feet msl.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5659L
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0762
- Airframe hours
- 2,248
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gary R. Hanson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 16, 2003 · 1.5 hours before
- Departed
- GJT · Grand Junction, CO
- Destination
- GJT · Grand Junction, CO
- Airport
- GJT · Walker Field, runway 290, 10,501 × 150 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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- October 8, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 26,000 total · 2,248 in this make and model · 18,000 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 1 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- GJT
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.