- Date
- April 19, 2018, 16:55 local (21:55 UTC)
- Place
- Bulberde, TX
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3535XMooney M20F
- Defining event
- Enroute: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180419003869A
- Case key
- 97113
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 unstabilized approach, which resulted in the airplane landing long and fast, and the pilot’s subsequent decision to steer the airplane off the side of the runway to avoid a runway overrun.
Findings · 3
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
According to the pilot who occupied the right front seat, during the flight, the engine started to run roughly. He added that, during landing, the airplane was fast and high, and it touched down about 1,200 ft past the approach end of the 2,890-ft-long runway. A pilot-rated passenger occupied the left front seat, which was the only position configured with brakes. The pilot-rated passenger applied the brakes during the landing roll, and the pilot maneuvered the airplane to exit the left side of the runway to avoid a runway overrun and impact with a fence. The airplane exited the left side of the runway, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane subsequently skidded to a stop in the grass safety area. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft section of the fuselage. During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, a flight instructor, who was seated in the rear of the airplane during the flight, reported that the airplane touched down about 100 knots with between 40 and 60 percent of the runway remaining. According to the manufacturer's airplane operator manual, the minimum runway landing roll distance at sea level is 785 ft when the ground speed is 70 knots. The METAR at the airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 07° at 12 knots, gusting to 17 knots. The airport field elevation was 789 ft, and the pilot landed the airplane on runway 34.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot who occupied the right front seat, during the flight the engine started to run rough. During landing, the airplane was fast and high, and touched down about 1,200ft past the approach end of the 2,890ft runway. A pilot rated passenger occupied the left front seat which was the only position configured with brakes. The pilot-rated passenger applied the brakes during the landing roll and the pilot maneuvered the airplane to exit the left side of the runway to avoid a runway overrun and impact with a fence. The airplane exited the left side of the runway and the right main landing gear collapsed, and subsequently skidded to a stop in the grass safety area. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft section of the fuselage. During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board Investigator-in-charge, a flight instructor, who was seated in the rear of the airplane during the flight, reported that the airplane touched down about 100 knots, with between 40-60 percent of the runway remaining. According to the manufacturer's airplane operator manual, the minimum runway landing roll distance at sea level is 785ft when the ground speed is 70 knots. The METAR at the airport reported that about the time of the accident, the wind was from 07° at 12 knots and gusting to 17 knots. The airport field elevation was 789ft and the pilot landed to runway 34.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3535X
- Reported as
- Mooney M20F (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 670072
- Built
- 1966
- Airframe hours
- 4,475
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Zulu Aviation Corp.
- Registered owner
- Zulu Aviation Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 31, 2018
- Departed
- FTW · Fort Worth, TX
- Destination
- 1T8 · Bulberde, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 1T8 · Bulverde Airpark, runway 34, 2,890 × 40 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Stall warning system
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
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- August 12, 2017
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,228.1 total · 308 in this make and model · 1,114 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 13.5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 17
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 5, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 70 total · 1 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KSAT, 12 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 29, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 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.