Mooney M20J N3894H

Summary

On 9 June 1983 at about 22:30 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N3894H, operated by Performance Aircraft, Inc., was involved in an accident near Death Valley, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

9 June 1983 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Death Valley, California, United States

Nearest airport

Death Valley (LO6)

Coordinates

36.5993, -116.8303

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N3894H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Performance Aircraft, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Van Nuys

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX83FA274

2 people were seriously injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT INITIATED HIS TAKEOFF FROM THE DEATH VALLEY ARPT AT ABOUT 1530 HRS ON A HOT DAY. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT COLLIDEDWITH TREES ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY & CRASHED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ACFT HAD ANGLED TO THE LEFT PRIOR TO REACHING THE 1000 FT MARKER. DEPRESSIONS LOCATED LEFT OF THE RWY INDICATED THAT THE ACFT HAD BECOME AIRBORNE, DEPARTED THE RWY, THEN STRUCK THE GROUND 1036 FT FROM THE APCH END OF RWY 15. THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN, CONTINUED TO THE LEFT & STRUCK AN 18 INCH MOUND OF DIRT, 1125 FT FROM THE APCH END OF THE RWY. AGAIN, THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE & STRUCK 2 MESQUITE TREES, THEN CRASHED & CAME TO REST 1380 FT FROM THE APCH END OF RWY 15, AND 230 FT EAST OF THE RWY CENTERLINE. ACCORDING TO THE PLT, HE DID NOT LOOK AT THE AIRSPEED INDICATOR DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL. IT WAS HIS HABIT TO 'GO BY FEEL.' THE WIND HAD BEEN ERRATIC, BUT WAS LIGHT TO NON-EXISTENT MOST OF THE DAY. PREVIOUSLY, HIS LEFT LEG HAD BEEN AMPUTATED BELOW THE KNEE & HE HAD AN ARTIFICIAL LEG. HIS PLT CERTIFICATE WAS BASED ON HIS BRITISH LICENSE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.