Mooney M20J accident near Sterling, PA
On May 10, 2012, a Mooney M20J (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sterling, PA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 10, 2012
- Place
- Sterling, PA
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 41.340°N, 75.421°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120510X63101
Official records · ERA12FA327
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
"The Aerodrome Information was updated June 14, 2013." HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 9, 2012, about 2225 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20J, N9154K, was destroyed following a collision with trees and terrain after takeoff from Spring Hill Airport (70N), Sterling, Pennsylvania. The commercial pilot and one pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured and one passenger received serious injuries. The airplane was registered to a corporation and was operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and was destined for Republic Airport, Farmingdale, New York (FRG). The surviving passenger reported the following. He arrived at FRG earlier on the day of the accident for the flight with the pilot and the other passenger. He stated that he was in the aft seat at all times, the other passenger was in the right, cockpit seat at all times, and the pilot was in the left, cockpit seat at all times. The pilot performed all flight duties and the other passenger did not fly the airplane. The flight proceeded to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where the pilot had the fuel tanks topped off. He did not recall the pilot performing any weight and balance calculations, nor did he observe him using a checklist at any time. He recalled that the pilot stated they were, “…a little overweight from Farmingdale.” During the flight, the pilot elected to land at 70N since it was closer to the other passen
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to take off on an uphill slope without utilizing the entire available runway, and his failure to abort the takeoff when he realized he wasn’ t going to liftoff in time to clear the trees at the end of the runway.
More accidents in PA
- Boeing B-737-300, Sep 8, 1994
- Boeing 757, Sep 11, 2001
- British Aerospace J-3101, May 21, 2000
- Bell UH-1N, May 29, 2008
- Beech A36, Jul 30, 1989
Browse: Pennsylvania · 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.
