Mooney M20E N3463X

Summary

On 28 February 2009 at about 17:05 local time, a Mooney M20E registered N3463X, operated by David Michaud, was involved in an accident near Rio Linda, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 February 2009 at 17:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Rio Linda, California, United States

Nearest airport

Rio Linda Airport (L36)

Coordinates

38.6794, -121.4464

Aircraft

Mooney M20E

Registration

N3463X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

David Michaud

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rio Linda → Rio Linda

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09FA133

2 people died.

A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons and the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering during the initial climb, which resulted in a stall/spin.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight was planned to be a maintenance test flight following an annual inspection, which included the installation of a field overhauled engine by the mechanic/passenger. Witnesses reported that a "popping" sound was heard during the takeoff ground roll. After liftoff, they heard the engine surge followed by a puff of black smoke emanating from the right rear of the engine. A videotape recording obtained from a camera located on a nearby building captured the airplane on the initial climb-out before it made a left turn back to the runway. The left wing and nose dropped as the airplane entered a spin prior to descending out of view of the camera. The airplane came to rest in an open field about 300 feet from the end of the runway and was consumed by a post-crash fire. During the postaccident inspection of the airframe and engine, no mechanical failures or malfunctions were found that would have prevented normal operation. The fuel lines, hoses, and fuel pump were too badly fire damaged to be able to determine if any pre-existing malfunctions affected those components.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.