- Date
- June 24, 2006, 18:40 local (Jun 25, 2006, 00:40 UTC)
- Place
- Summit, UT
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2987LMooney M-20F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20060624011859A
- Case key
- 63984
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 clearance from the terrain during a climb. Encounter with a severe downdraft, and mountainous terrain were factors.
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
While climbing out of a valley in mountainous terrain, the aircraft encountered a severe downdraft while crossing over a ridge. As the aircraft began to sink, the pilot added full power, lowered the nose, and kept the wings level. The aircraft did not climb at a greater rate than the downdraft was sinking, and it eventually descended into the terrain in a wings-level position. According to the pilot, there were no problems with the aircraft's engine or flight controls.
Factual narrative
While climbing out of a valley in mountainous terrain, the aircraft encountered a severe downdraft while crossing over a ridge. As the aircraft began to sink, the pilot added full power, lowered the nose, and kept the wings level. The aircraft did not climb at a greater rate than the downdraft was sinking, and it eventually descended into the terrain in a wings-level position. According to the pilot, there were no problems with the aircraft's engine or flight controls.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2987L
- Reported as
- Mooney M-20F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 670346
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Paul Bowmar
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KCDC · Cedar City, UT
- Destination
- KCDC
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
- 49
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 1,936 total · 220 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2987L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.