- Date
- October 15, 2022, 08:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Marble Canyon, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N6031QMooney M20E
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20221015019349A
- Case key
- 106182
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 loss of directional control during a takeoff from a rough, narrow runway, resulting in an aborted takeoff and subsequent runway excursion.
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 pilot reported that during the takeoff roll he noticed a vibration, and a possible loss of power, and the airplane veered to the left off the narrow (35 ft) runway when he decided to abort the takeoff. He therefore aborted the takeoff and subsequently the airplane impacted a dirt berm and came to rest in a ditch. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The engine was run at various power settings with no anomalies noted. The pilot subsequently stated that he had since flown in another Mooney after the accident and, having experienced the effect of a rough surface on the landing gear, that the vibrations were likely an effect of the rough runway surface on the nose gear.
Factual narrative
On October 15, 2022, about 0830 mountain standard time, a Mooney M20E airplane, N6031Q, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Marble Canyon, Arizona. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll he noticed a vibration, and a possible loss of power, and the airplane veered to the left off the narrow (35 ft) runway when he decided to abort the takeoff. Subsequently, the left main wheel departed off the runway’s edge and dug into the sand, causing a loss of performance and directional control of the airplane. The airplane then impacted a dirt berm and came to rest in a ditch. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The engine was run at various power settings with no anomalies noted. The pilot subsequently stated that he had since flown in another Mooney after the accident and, having experienced the effect of a rough surface on the landing gear, that the vibrations were likely an effect of the rough runway surface on the nose gear. Airport remarks stated that the runway was resurfaced. It further stated that the resurfaced portion of Runway 03-21 is tight with no loose material but is somewhat rough.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6031Q
- Reported as
- Mooney M20E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 876
- Built
- 1965
- Airframe hours
- 3,062.67
- Engine
- Lycoming I0360 SER, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 14, 2022 · 12.7 hours before
- Destination
- HND · Henderson, NV
- Airport
- L41 · Marble Canyon, runway 21, 3,715 × 35 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Stall warning system
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 3, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 604.3 total · 112 in this make and model · 469.3 as pilot in command · 26.4 in the last 90 days · 3.9 in the last 30 days · 1.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KPGA, 11 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KPGA 151453Z AUTO 31004KT 10SM CLR 15/M05 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP137 T01501050 53012 $
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 16, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.2 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.