- Date
- September 30, 1983, 13:24 local (19:24 UTC)
- Place
- La Junta, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3280FMooney M20F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830930052699A
- Case key
- 16164
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 acft stalled into the ground during a takeoff in windy conditions. The winds were reported to be from 210 degrees at 22 KTS gusting to 28 KTS. The plt received a weather briefing from the fss and knew a strong crosswind from the left was present. He used rudder but no aileron during takeoff. He said the acft lifted off at 70 mph and at 10 ft in the air'a gust or shear' hit the acft. The plane turned 90 degrees to the left, lost airspeed and settled to the ground. The left wing made ground contact first. The acft slid across a ditch and came to rest 60 ft from the south edge of the rwy. The FAA flt training handbook states that full aileron should be held into the wind as takeoff starts. This position is held until sufficient airspeed is obtained and then used as required to keep wings level. Takeoff power created torque or p-factor which yaws the acft to the left and a wind from the left may aggrevate the left turning tendency.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3280F
- Reported as
- Mooney M20F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 670373
- Airframe hours
- 4,000
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Orville G. Anderson Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 15, 1983 · 45 hours before
- Destination
- DEN · Denver, CO
- Airport
- LHX · La Junta Municipal, runway 26, 6,844 × 100 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 79 total · 15 in this make and model · 49 as pilot in command · 79 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Wind
- 210° at 22 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LHX
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N3280F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.