- Date
- May 25, 1998, 14:20 local (21:20 UTC)
- Place
- Las Vegas, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6453QMooney M20F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980525025139A
- Case key
- 30100
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 improper remedial action in controlling the aircraft during a go-around in a crosswind which resulted in a collision with a runway light and separation of the landing gear.
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 pilot was landing on runway 25 and felt a wind gust push the aircraft toward the right edge of the runway. He attempted a go-around, but the aircraft continued to sink. The aircraft impacted a gravel area beside the runway and the right main landing gear separated after colliding with a runway light. The airplane came to rest on the north side of the runway. The winds were from 180 degrees at 10 knots.
Factual narrative
On May 25, 1998, at 1420 hours Pacific daylight time, a Mooney M20F, N6453Q, ground looped on landing at the Las Vegas, Nevada, airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that he was doing traffic pattern operations. As he crossed the threshold to land on runway 25, he felt a wind gust push the aircraft toward the right edge of the runway. He applied full throttle to attempt a go-around, but the aircraft was in a nose high attitude and began to sink. The aircraft impacted the gravel area beside the runway. The pilot reported that the right main landing gear assembly impacted a runway light and separated from the aircraft. The airplane came to rest on the north side of the runway. The winds were from 180 degrees at 10 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6453Q
- Reported as
- Mooney M20F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 670532
- Airframe hours
- 1,491
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Aerleon Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 11, 1998 · 57 hours before
- Departed
- VGT
- Airport
- VGT · North Las Vegas, runway 25, 5,005 × 75 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 163 total · 20 in this make and model · 84 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.