Mooney M20J accident near Bartow, FL
On February 13, 2020, a Mooney M20J (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bartow, FL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 13, 2020
- Place
- Bartow, FL
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 27.954°N, 81.771°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200213X55547
Official records · ERA20FA101
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn February 13, 2020, at 1126 eastern standard time, a Mooney M20J, N1149T, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Bartow Executive Airport (BOW), Bartow, Florida. The pilot and a passenger were fatally injured. The airplane operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal formation flight. According to the flight-lead of the four-airplane formation flight, the accident pilot and his wife joined the flight at the last minute and were assigned the No. 4 position that included an RV-9, RV-6A, RV8, and the accident airplane. Review of data from an onboard Stratus device and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data for the lead airplane in the formation flight revealed that the formation flight departed Spruce Creek Airport (7FL6), Daytona Beach, Florida, about 1045. The accident airplane climbed to 1,300 ft then 1,700 ft msl (mean sea level) while maintaining an airspeed between 120 knots and 140 knots during the formation flight to BOW. Throughout the flight, the accident airplane’s path, altitude, and speed closely followed those of the lead airplane. The formation began descending at 1117. Approaching BOW, the BOW air traffic tower controller instructed the formation flight to enter the right downwind leg of the traffic pattern for runway 23. The formation flew about 3 miles northwest of BOW and the flight-lead instructed the other pilots in the formation to “Go extended trail.” According to the flight lead, all complied and were in-trail behind the flight lead to enter th
Probable cause
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and subsequent aerodynamic stall and spin at low altitude due to a possible distraction in the cockpit for which the reason was undetermined.
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Browse: Florida · 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.
