- Date
- May 29, 2004, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Warren, VT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N53WMMooney M20R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20040529017199A
- Case key
- 59351
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 flare, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor in this accident was the wind shear as reported by the pilot.
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 was landing on runway 4, a 2,575-foot-long, 30-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The pilot reported that the airplane was approximately 10 feet above the runway, when it encountered a strong wind shear and dropped "fast and hard" onto the runway. The pilot aborted the landing and was informed over the Unicom, that the airplane's left main landing gear had separated. The pilot elected to divert to another airport, where he performed a gear up landing, without further incident. The elevation at the accident site was about 1,470 feet. Winds reported at an airport that was located about 13 miles northeast of the accident site, and at an elevation of 1,165 feet, about the time of the accident, were from 310 degrees, at 14 knots, with 21 knot gusts.
Factual narrative
On May 29, 2004, about 1130 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20R, N53WM, was substantially damaged while landing at the Warren-Sugarbush Airport, Warren, Vermont. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Bedford, Massachusetts. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, he over flew the airport and did not observe a windsock; however, he was informed over the Unicom frequency that runway 4 was in use, and he observed an airplane depart from runway 4.
The pilot entered the traffic pattern for runway 4, a 2,575-foot-long, 30-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The pilot stated that the airplane was approximately 10 feet above the runway, when it encountered a strong wind shear and dropped "fast and hard" onto the runway. The pilot aborted the landing and was informed over the Unicom, that the airplane's left main landing gear had separated. The pilot elected to divert to Lebanon, New Hampshire, where he performed a gear up landing, without further incident.
Subsequent examination of the airplane revealed damage to the left wing spar and flap.
The pilot reported 913 hours of total flight experience, which included 757 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
The elevation at the accident site was about 1,470 feet. Winds reported at an airport that was located about 13 miles northeast of the accident site, and at an elevation of 1,165 feet, about the time of the accident, were from 310 degrees, at 14 knots, with 21 knot gusts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53WM
- Reported as
- Mooney M20R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 29-0191
- Airframe hours
- 1,048
- Engine
- Continental IO-550-G6B, 280 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ivan Burns
- Registered owner
- Ivan R. Burns
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 7, 2004 · 67 hours before
- Departed
- BED · Bedford, MA
- Destination
- 0B7 · Warren, VT
- Airport
- 0B7 · Warren-Sugarbush, runway 4, 2,575 × 30 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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- November 29, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 913 total · 757 in this make and model · 845 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 14 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- MPV, 13 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.