- Date
- June 29, 2008, 17:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Ft Gibson, OK
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1287XMooney M20
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- Case key
- 68343
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 loss of control while maneuvering the aircraft.
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.
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, with one passenger on-board the airplane, was to practice maneuvers with the airplane. The pilot performed "lazy 8's, circles around-a-point, S-turns, and low-flight." While doing slow flight at full power and flaps deployed, the aircraft's right wing dropped; the pilot tried to correct the problem by lowering the nose and applying aileron and rudder. However, the pilot reported that the aircraft started to spin, and oscillate left-to-right. The pilot was not able to fully recover the aircraft before impacting the surface of a lake. Both the passenger and pilot were able to open the aircraft's door and exit the craft.
Factual narrative
The pilot, with one passenger on-board the airplane, was to practice maneuvers with the airplane. The pilot performed "lazy 8's, circles around-a-point, S-turns, and low-flight." While doing slow flight at full power and flaps deployed, the aircraft's right wing dropped; the pilot tried to correct the problem by lowering the nose and applying aileron and rudder. However, the pilot reported that the aircraft started to spin, and oscillate left-to-right. The pilot was not able to fully recover the aircraft before impacting the surface of a lake. Both the passenger and pilot were able to open the aircraft's door and exit the craft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1287X
- Reported as
- Mooney M20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 160
- Airframe hours
- 2,942
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 2007
- Departed
- H73 · Tahlequah, OK
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
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 357 total · 271 in this make and model · 87 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- KTQH
Other investigations on N1287X · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.