Mooney M20J N2201

Summary

On 27 November 2004 at about 18:40 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N2201 was involved in an accident near Statesville, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 November 2004 at 18:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Statesville, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Statesville Regional (SVH)

Coordinates

35.7650, -80.9567

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N2201

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Statesville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL05CA030

Nobody was injured.

the flight instructors improper use of the flight controls on rotation during a short field takeoff resulting in the airplane becoming airborne, stall, and collision with the ground. A factor in the accident was the instructors failure to brief procedures for a positive transfere of the flight controls with the pilot receiving instruction.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor stated he was conducting an instructional flight with a private pilot who had been having problems with performing the soft field takeoff maneuver. The flight instructor stated he did not brief the private pilot on positive transfer of the flight controls before departing on the flight. The private pilot taxied out to runway 28 and completed the required takeoff checks and taxied into position for takeoff. The private pilot started the takeoff roll. When the airplane reached rotation speed the private pilot did not rotate the airplane. The flight instructor verbally informed the pilot to rotate the airplane. The pilot did not respond to the flight instructors instructions. The flight instructor pulled back on the control yoke and the airplane became airborne in a nose up attitude with both pilots on the on the flight controls. The flight instructor stated, "the airplane stalled and the left wing dropped down." The flight instructor verbally instructed the pilot to release the flight controls and he complied with his instructions. The flight instructor leveled the airplane as it collided with the ground off the left side of the runway. The airplane continued forward and collided with a fence before it came to a stop. When asked if the airplane had any mechanical problems before the accident the flight instructor stated no. He further stated, "the accident was his fault, he failed to exercise good cockpit resource management by not properly transferring the flight controls, resulting in the airspeed not being maintained when he pulled back on the control yoke."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.