- Date
- April 11, 1995, 13:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Tangier Island, VA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N331DFMooney M20K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 27, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950411007179A
- Case key
- 38941
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 obstacle clearance which resulted in an inflight collision with a tree. Contributing factors are a crosswind and the pilot's failure to maintain directional control and his inadequate compensation for wind 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 had completed a 45 minute cross country flight and attempted to land on runway 02 at his destination airport. After touchdown, the airplane started to veer left, and the pilot aborted the landing. The pilot initiated a climb and about 10 feet above the ground, the left wing struck a 2-inch diameter tree; the airplane descended and struck the ground. Winds reported at an airport 26 miles away were from 050 degrees at 12 knots.
Factual narrative
On April 11, 1995, at 1315 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20K, N331DF, was substantially damaged when it struck a tree during a go-around at the Tangier Island Airport, Tangier Island, Virginia. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated at Coatesville, Pennsylvania. An IFR flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot stated in a telephone interview that he departed Coatesville, Pennsylvania, with full fuel tanks on an IFR flight to Tangier Island (TGI). The flight to TGI took about 45 minutes, and during touch down on runway 2, the airplane started to drift left. He attempted to correct with right rudder, but decided to go-around. At approximately 10 feet above the runway, during the go-around, the left wing struck a 2 inch diameter tree and then struck the ground. The pilot said that weather and wind were not a factor.
The winds reported at an airport about 26 miles from TGI were from 050 degrees at 12 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N331DF
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0003
- Airframe hours
- 3,793
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Debonaire Flyers
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 1, 1994 · 81 hours before
- Departed
- 40N · Coatsville, PA
- Destination
- TGI
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- TGI · Tangier Island, runway 2, 2,950 × 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
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 650 total · 30 in this make and model · 350 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- WAL, 26 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.