Mooney Aircraft Corp. M20C accident near Mitchellville, MD
On September 2, 2013, a Mooney Aircraft Corp. M20C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Mitchellville, MD. 3 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 2, 2013
- Place
- Mitchellville, MD
- Aircraft
- Mooney Aircraft Corp. M20C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 38.941°N, 76.772°W
- NTSB ID
- 20130903X84628
Official records · ERA13LA391
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Shelf Item - Copy of FSS Audio: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
On September 2, 2013, about 1540 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20C, N78951, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees during takeoff from Freeway Airport (W00), Mitchellville, Maryland. The private pilot and two passengers were seriously injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the planned local flight.The airplane was owned by the pilot and based at W00. It was departing on runway 36, a 2,420-foot-long asphalt runway. Due to his injuries, the pilot did not recall the accident. He estimated that the airplane was approximately 38 pounds below its maximum gross weight at takeoff. Two witnesses, in their respective vehicles, were traveling on a highway perpendicular to the departure end of runway 36. Both witnesses reported that the airplane crossed the highway at a low altitude. One of the witnesses added that the airplane's "…nose appeared higher than its tail…" as it crossed the highway and descended to a height of about 10 feet above the ground before impacting trees. A video recorder, which was installed on a parked airplane at W00, captured part of the accident airplane's takeoff. Review of the video revealed that the accident airplane initially climbed out of ground effect; however, in then began to settle back down toward the ground in a nose-up attitude prior to exiting the frame. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector reveale
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to ensure that the wing flaps were properly configured before takeoff.
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Browse: Maryland · 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.
