- Date
- May 29, 2005, 09:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N928MBMooney M20K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- DEN FSDO
- FAA report
- 20050529023799A
- Case key
- 62485
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 and the pilot's improper use of unusual attitude recovery procedure. Contributing factors were the failure of the HSI and the clouds.
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 was in instrument meteorological conditions and climbing to his cruise altitude when the horizontal situation indicator (HSI) failed. He became disoriented, the airplane got into an unusual attitude, and he lost control of the airplane. When the airplane broke out of the clouds, it was descending rapidly, and he pulled back hard on the control yoke to arrest the descent. During the recovery, the airplane's structural limitations were exceeded and the airplane was overstressed. According to a telephone interview with a mechanic who replaced the HSI at Duncan Aviation, a repair shop located at APA, a plastic gear in the HSI was "stripped" and the heading bug caused the compass card to "hang-up."
Factual narrative
On May 29, 2005, approximately 0930 mountain daylight time, a Mooney M20K, N928MB, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it was overstressed after departing Centennial Airport (APA), Englewood, Colorado. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal cross-country flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. An instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed. The pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, sustained no injuries. The flight originated at APA approximately 0900 and was en route to Camarillo Airport (CMA), Camarillo, California.
According to the pilot, he was in instrument meteorological conditions and climbing to his cruise altitude when the horizontal situation indicator (HSI) failed. He became disoriented, the airplane got into an unusual attitude, and he lost control of the airplane. When the airplane broke out of the clouds, it was descending rapidly, and he pulled back hard on the control yoke to arrest the descent. During the recovery, the airplane's structural limitations were exceeded and the airplane was overstressed.
According to a telephone interview with a mechanic who replaced the HSI at Duncan Aviation, a repair shop located at APA, a plastic gear in the HSI was "stripped" and the heading bug caused the compass card to "hang-up."
According to an FAA airworthiness safety inspector, the wing was wrinkled and the accompanying rivets were "popped." Damage to the wing was such that the insurance company wrote off the airplane as a total loss. The pilot was unaware of the damage to the airplane and had flown it on numerous occasions after the accident. When the damage was brought to his attention, he reported the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N928MB
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0859
- Airframe hours
- 2,706
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-GB, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Martin Lawrence
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2005 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- APA · Englewood, CO
- Destination
- CMA · Camarillo, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- APA · Centennial Airport
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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 1, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 2,260 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- APA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.