Mooney M20J accident near Jacksonville, FL
On December 26, 2021, a Mooney M20J (airplane) was involved in an accident near Jacksonville, FL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 26, 2021
- Place
- Jacksonville, FL
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 30.273°N, 81.825°W
- NTSB ID
- 20211226104442
Official records · ERA22FA095
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On December 26, 2021, at 1104 eastern standard time, a Mooney M20J, N3707H, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Jacksonville, Florida. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. According to ADS-B tracking data, the airplane departed the Herlong Recreational Airport (HEG), Jacksonville, Florida, about 1041 for a local flight to the north. The airplane returned to HEG and entered the left base leg of the traffic pattern for runway 25 about 1101. Review of an airport surveillance video recording revealed that the airplane entered a low approach to the runway about 50-100 ft above ground level (agl) with the landing gear extended but did not touch down. The groundspeeds recorded by the ADS-B data varied from about 50 to 56 knots during the low pass and departure until the recorded data ended. The airplane’s altitude was not available in the ADS-B data. The runway’s orientation was 245° true, and the wind reported near the time of the accident was from 260° true at 9 knots. A witness located at the airport observed the airplane flying over the runway. When he first observed the airplane, it appeared to be flying “slowly” with a “very high angle of attack.” The nose of the airplane then lowered, and the noise of the engine rpm decreased slightly and momentarily, before increasing back to the same noise level. The engine sounded “normal” and “did not sputter, pop or falter at any time”; however, the airplane appeared to be “barely climbing.” When the
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin. Contributing was the pilot’s likely distraction due to the opening of the baggage door.
More accidents in FL
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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.
