Loss of control Accident Mooney M20S Eagle N602TF,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 231853
 
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Date:Tuesday 31 December 2019
Time:17:06 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic M20P model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Mooney M20S Eagle
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N602TF
MSN: 30-0043
Year of manufacture:2000
Engine model:Continental IO-550-N
Fatalities:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Johnson County Executive Airport (OJC/KOJC), Olathe, KS -   United States of America
Phase: Take off
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Olathe-Johnson County Executive Airport, KS (OJC/KOJC)
Destination airport:North Little Rock, AR (ORK
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The pilot and a passenger were departing from the airport to return to their home base airport. A witness reported that nothing was out of the ordinary on the airplane's initial rollout. However, the airplane rotated at a much slower speed than would be expected and immediately started to climb at a very high pitch attitude. The witness reported that as the airplane gained altitude, it appeared to fly slower to the point that the left wing stalled, causing the airplane to nose over and continue its trajectory straight into the ground just east of the runway. The witness stated that the engine power was 'on' throughout the entire flight. Videos recorded near the accident site and the accident airplane's engine monitor data were consistent with the witness description of the accident flight. The airplane did not exhibit any in-flight fire or smoke in the videos, and a ground fire was observed after impact.

The pilot had purchased the airplane about 1 month before the accident and, according to his flight instructor, had accumulated 6.8 hours of instructional flight time.

A disassembly examination of the engine revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Review of photographs of an exemplar trim jack screw and the accident airplane's jack screw revealed that the airplane's trim system components exhibited a setting consistent with a full nose-up trim. The before takeoff checklist for the airplane make and model includes the step, 'Elevator Trim'¦.TAKEOFF SETTING.'

The autopsy did not detect any significant natural disease. Toxicology testing detected a muscle relaxant and an antinausea medication in the pilot's liver and muscle tissue samples; it was unknown why the pilot was using these impairing medications. The witness who saw the pilot before he took off observed nothing out of the ordinary in the pilot's behavior and 'no red flags' with respect to the pilot'˜s actions. Thus, it could not be determined if effects from the pilot's use of a muscle relaxant and an antinausea medication were factors in this accident.

A low level of carbon monoxide was detected in the pilot's blood. The concentration would not be at a level to cause impairment and thus was determined not to be a factor in the accident.

Given the available information, it is likely the pilot departed with the elevator trim set to a full nose-up setting as opposed to the takeoff setting, which resulted in the airplane pitching up steeply after liftoff and the subsequent aerodynamic stall.

Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to set the elevator trim properly for takeoff, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during climb out, an aerodynamic stall, and the subsequent impact with terrain.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: CEN20FA049
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 4 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB CEN20FA049
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=602TF

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N602TF

Location

Media:

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
01-Jan-2020 00:32 Geno Added
01-Jan-2020 01:18 Iceman 29 Updated [Source, Embed code]
01-Jan-2020 01:23 Iceman 29 Updated [Time, Embed code, Narrative]
01-Jan-2020 01:25 Geno Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative]
01-Jan-2020 01:38 Iceman 29 Updated [Nature, Source, Narrative]
01-Jan-2020 09:02 Anon. Updated [Narrative]
01-Jan-2020 12:23 Anon. Updated [Source]
01-Jan-2020 17:09 Iceman 29 Updated [Source]
01-Jan-2020 17:10 Iceman 29 Updated [Source]
01-Jan-2020 19:46 Iceman 29 Updated [Source, Narrative]
01-Jan-2020 19:48 Iceman 29 Updated [Narrative]
03-Jan-2020 16:55 Anon. Updated [Source, Narrative]
08-Jul-2022 11:48 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, Accident report]

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