- Date
- July 26, 2023, 14:00 UTC
- Place
- Chattanooga, TN
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N62GHMooney M20R
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230726014739A
- Case key
- 192723
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 the proper glidepath during final approach, which resulted in a collision with the approach lights short of the runway. Contributing was the pilot’s distraction due to the cabin door opening.
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 and the flight instructor were climbing out after departing from the airport when the cabin door suddenly opened. The flight instructor tried to close the door but could not get it closed properly. The pilot subsequently returned to the airport to land. During the landing approach, the pilot was distracted, flew too low, and the airplane contacted several approach lights short of the runway threshold. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62GH
- Reported as
- Mooney M20R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 29-0190
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 1,509
- Engine
- Continental IO-550, 200 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mooney 62gh LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 11, 2023
- Airport
- CHA · Lovell Fld, runway 20, 7,400 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 72
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 30, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,100 total · 20 in this make and model
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 80
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 12, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 8,141 total · 591 in this make and model · 7,938 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- CHA
- METAR
- KCHA 261353Z 00000KT 10SM SCT120 27/22 A3018 RMK AO2 SLPNO T02720218 $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 5, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.