Mooney M20J accident near Dinsmore, CA

On July 15, 2021, a Mooney M20J (airplane) was involved in an accident near Dinsmore, CA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

July 15, 2021

Place

Dinsmore, CA

Aircraft

Mooney M20J · Airplane

Injuries

4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

40.492°N, 123.598°W

NTSB ID

20210715103489

Official records · WPR21FA272

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Attachment 1 To Security Camera Recording - Specialist's Factual Report - Img_0187.mp4: Recording (MP4), on ntsb.gov
• Attachment 2 To Security Camera Recording - Specialist's Factual Report - Img_0188.mp4: Recording (MP4), on ntsb.gov
• Security Camera Recording - Specialist's Factual Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 15, 2021, at 1154 Pacific daylight time, a Mooney M20J airplane, N4474H, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Dinsmore Airport (D63), Dinsmore, California. The pilot, pilot rated passenger, and two other passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A witness, who was located 0.25 miles east of the departure end of runway 9 at the airport, observed the accident airplane circling the area twice before landing on runway 27. (The witness reported that the wind was from the west.) The witness then observed the airplane travel down the runway before making a complete stop at the midpoint of the runway, at which time three people disembarked, one of whom walked around the airplane. All three people then boarded the airplane, and the airplane taxied toward runway 9. The witness observed the airplane accelerate down the runway and stated that the airplane appeared to have rotated just short of the displaced runway threshold. The witness thought that the airplane “barely cleared the fence” and that the rotation was not smooth because the pilot had suddenly “jerked” the nose of the airplane. The airplane subsequently impacted trees and then the ground about 1,600 ft from the departure end of runway 9. Two security cameras, both of which were located about 300 ft east of the departure end of runway 9 (see figure 1), captured the accident airplane during the takeoff initial climb (see figure 2 for the view from one of the cameras). Figure 1. Camera and wreckage loc

Probable cause

The airplane’s degraded engine performance due to wear to the intake cam lobes, which diminished the airplane’s takeoff and climb performance, resulting in a subsequent collision with trees.

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• Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008

Browse: California · Mooney aircraft

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.