- Date
- June 2, 1991, 16:14 local (20:14 UTC)
- Place
- Rhinebeck, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N201YSMooney M20J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910602018549A
- Case key
- 36935
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 failure of the pilot to attain flying speed, resulting in an inadvertent stall. Factors related to the accident were: improper use of the flight controls by the pilot, and the pilot's decision to make the takeoff under the existing conditions.
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 initiated a takeoff on a grass runway with calm winds. He said he became airborne after approximately 1600 feet, retracted the landing gear and remained level to accelerate. He said he started a climb and it may have been too steep because the airplane stalled and fell off on the right wing. The right wing contacted the ground and the airplane cartwheeled into trees. The temperature was reported to be 75 degrees fahrenheit. The pilot reported the airplane was near its maximum gross takeoff weight and the grass on the runway was a little high. There were trees at both ends of the 2200 foot long runway and the surface was undulating.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N201YS
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-0524
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bernard J. Walsh
- Registered owner
- Bernard J. Walsh
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Destination
- AGC · Pittsburgh, PA
- Airport
- N56 · Old Rhinebeck, runway 36, 2,200 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 75
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 3,900 total · 3,500 in this make and model · 3,800 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.