- Date
- February 7, 2004, 14:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9675MMooney M20C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20040207003679A
- Case key
- 58732
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 directional control of the airplane, which resulted in a collision with an airport sign.
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 airplane collided with a taxiway sign following a loss of directional control while on the landing roll. During the landing roll, the airplane made a sharp left turn. The pilot did not apply rudder pressure to counteract the veer. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and collided with a taxiway sign. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On February 7, 2004, about 1430 mountain standard time, a Mooney M20C, N9675M, collided with a taxiway sign following a loss of directional control while on the landing roll at Falcon Field Airport (FFZ), Mesa, Arizona. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight departed FFZ about 1330. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed.
In a written statement, the pilot reported that he had been cleared to land on runway 22L. The airplane touched down on centerline, with the main landing gear making contact with the runway first, and the nose wheel following. During the landing roll, the airplane made a sharp left turn. The pilot did not apply rudder pressure to counteract the veer. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and collided with a taxiway sign. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the inboard section of the left wing and ruptured the left fuel tank. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
An aviation routine weather report (METAR) for FFZ at 1441 reported winds from 130 degrees at 6 knots and visibility at 50 statute miles.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9675M
- Reported as
- Mooney M20C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 670011
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-AID, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- FFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Destination
- FFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Airport
- FFZ · Falcon Field Airport, runway 22L
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
- 74
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 579 total · 68 in this make and model · 13 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.