- Date
- March 27, 2021, 12:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Alturas, CA · N41°29.42' W120°34.41'
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9146QMooney M20J
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- 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
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210327004969A
- Case key
- 102829
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 student pilot's improper landing flare which resulted in a bounced landing, loss of airplane control and subsequent collision with terrain.
Findings · 3
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 solo student pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane touched down on the main landing gear and bounced twice. He initiated a go-around, but the airplane did not have enough airspeed. The airplane drifted to the left and the left wing contacted the ground. The airplane slid off the side of the runway and collided with terrain. Both wings were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9146Q
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-3384
- Built
- 1996
- Airframe hours
- 2,167.6
- Engine
- Lycoming I0360 A3B6 SER A&C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 18, 2020
- Departed
- KLKV · Lakeview, OR
- Destination
- KAAT · Alturas, CA
- Airport
- KAAT · Alturas Muni, runway 31, 4,228 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 132.8 total · 118.4 in this make and model · 34.9 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.34 inHg
- Observed at
- KAAT, 0.5 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KAAT 272055Z AUTO VRB05KT 10SM CLR 17/M06 A3034 RMK AO2 SLP273 T01671061 57011=
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.