- Date
- August 6, 1993, 14:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- King City, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N1153KMooney M20J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930806028219A
- Case key
- 28442
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 directional control during the takeoff ground roll due to the inadvertent interference with the controls by a passenger.
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
According to the pilot, the ground loop was induced when the right seat passenger accidentally pressed on the left rudder pedal as the aircraft neared lift off airspeed during the takeoff. The pilot reported that the aircraft yawed 45 degrees to the left when the passenger stepped on the left rudder pedal, and, he could not regain control of the aircraft prior to the ground loop.
Factual narrative
On August 6, 1993, at 1415 hours Pacific daylight time, a Mooney M20J, N1153K, sustained substantial damage during a ground loop following a loss of directional control on takeoff at the King City, California, airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the operation. The certificated private pilot and his two passengers were not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the mishap as a personal cross country flight to San Jose, California.
According to the pilot, the ground loop was induced when the right seat passenger accidentally pressed on the left rudder pedal as the aircraft neared lift off airspeed during the takeoff. The pilot reported that the aircraft yawed 45 degrees to the left when the passenger stepped on the left rudder pedal, and, he could not regain control of the aircraft prior to the ground loop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1153K
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1239
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gunter M. Unruh
- Registered owner
- G. M. Unruh & K. Flechsig
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 10, 1992
- Departed
- KIC
- Destination
- SJC · San Jose, CA
- Airport
- KIC · King City, runway 29, 4,485 × 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
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 920 total · 805 in this make and model · 771 as pilot in command · 37 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.