Mooney M20R accident near Burnsville, NC
On September 20, 2002, a Mooney M20R (airplane) was involved in an accident near Burnsville, NC. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 20, 2002
- Place
- Burnsville, NC
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20R · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.872°N, 82.345°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020925X05210
Official records · ATL02FA171
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 20, 2002, at 1837 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20R, N574DJ, registered to Yancey Aviation LLC and operated by the commercial pilot, collided with trees and caught fire during an attempted landing at the Mountain Air Country Club Airport in Burnsville, North Carolina. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot and passenger received fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed by post-impact fire. The flight departed Asheville Regional Airport in Asheville, North Carolina, on September 20, 2002, at an undetermined time. The pilot received wind information from a pilot monitoring the airport UNICOM, then announced she would make a low pass over runway 14 to observe the windsocks. The pilot stated on the radio that conditions were bumpy, then announced she would attempt a landing on runway 14, and, if unsuccessful, she would divert to Asheville, North Carolina. Several witnesses outside on the decks of a country club and a restaurant adjacent to the mountaintop runway observed the airplane make a low pass down runway 14, then enter the traffic pattern. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane on a low, flat final approach to runway 14 with its gear and flaps down. One witness stated the airplane appeared as if it were going to land directly on the numbers, but just prior to reaching the end of the runway, it suddenly banked left and dropped down the mountainside out of view. Two other witnesses reported the airplane appeared to
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during final approach, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and uncontrolled descent into trees and terrain. Factors were wind gusts and terrain-induced turbulence.
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Browse: North Carolina · Mooney aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
