- Date
- August 18, 2020, 19:50 local (Aug 19, 2020, 02:50 UTC)
- Place
- Hillsboro, OR
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2933LMooney M20C
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20200818013459A
- Case key
- 101820
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 altitude on short final due to an encounter with a down draft and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
Findings · 5
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor reported that the pilot receiving instruction was able to maintain an approximately 3° glide path on final approach to land, with power at an intermediate setting. However, on short final the airplane began to sink. The instructor stated that initially the pilot receiving instruction appeared to be adequately correcting, adding power, and increasing pitch. However, less than 100 ft above the touchdown zone and right before the flight instructor was about to command a go-around, the airplane sank further and touched down just prior to the runway. The right main landing gear impacted the edge of the runway and collapsed, substantially damaging the right wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2933L
- Reported as
- Mooney M20C (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 670067
- Built
- 1967
- Airframe hours
- 5,568
- Engine
- Lycoming O&VO-360 SER, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 15, 2020 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- MMV · McMinnville, OR
- Destination
- 7S3 · Hillsboro, OR
- Airport
- 7S3 · Starks Twin Oaks Airport, runway 02, 2,465 × 48 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 2, 2020
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 3,260 total · 20 in this make and model · 3,170 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 25, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 372 total · 283 in this make and model · 288 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- HIO, 7 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 30, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 11.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.