- Date
- June 29, 1995, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ronan, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N9273MMooney M20E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 24, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950629016709A
- Case key
- 42183
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
Directional control was not maintained. Factors to the accident were a rough/uneven airstrip and tall vegetation.
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
During the takeoff ground roll on a rough and uneven airstrip, the airplane bounced, became airborne and turned sideways as the left wing tip caught in tall grass next to the runway. The pilot aborted the takeoff and reduced power to avoid colliding with trees. The airplane collided with a ditch and spun around 90 degrees to the original direction of travel.
Factual narrative
On June 29, 1995, at 1200 mountain daylight time, a Mooney M20E, N9273M, collided with the terrain during the takeoff roll from a private airstrip near Ronan, Montana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was departing for Anaconda, Montana, on a personal flight.
In a written statement, the pilot reported that during the takeoff ground roll on the uneven grass airstrip, the airplane bounced, became airborne and turned sideways as the left wing tip caught in tall grass next to the runway. The pilot opted to abort the takeoff and reduce power to avoid colliding with trees.
The airplane collided with a ditch and spun around 90 degrees to the original direction of travel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9273M
- Reported as
- Mooney M20E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1212
- Airframe hours
- 2,781
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Walter A. Bren
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 29, 1995 · 2 hours before
- Destination
- 3U3 · Anaconda, MT
- Airport
- Wayne Baer Private, runway 36, 2,600 × 40 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
- 61
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,748 total · 131 in this make and model · 1,600 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 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.
Other investigations on N9273M · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.