Mooney M20J N4326H

Summary

On 11 December 2010 at about 20:41 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N4326H was involved in an accident near Chino, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 December 2010 at 20:41

Classification

Accident

Location

Chino, California, United States

Nearest airport

Chino (CNO)

Coordinates

33.9731, -117.6308

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N4326H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Santa Ana → Chino

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA075

1 person was seriously injured.

The student pilot's failure to properly position the flaps for the takeoff, failure to maintain airplane control during the procedure, and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot and certified flight instructor (CFI) had just completed two simulated short-field takeoffs, and decided to perform a simulated soft-field takeoff. The student was at the controls during the takeoff roll and, as the airplane rotated, the nose lifted at an angle that the CFI determined was excessive. He verbally coached the student to lower the nose, but the nose did not lower. He again requested that the student lower the nose, but he did not respond. The airplane then began to drift to the left, so the CFI took the controls. The CFI attempted to regain control of the airplane; however, the wing dropped and the airplane landed hard. The airplane departed the runway and was consumed by a postimpact fire after coming to rest on a taxiway. The CFI reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the flap actuator mechanism revealed that the flaps were fully extended at the time of the accident, rather than set to the mid-range takeoff position. The extended flap position likely resulted in the excessive nose-up tendencies experienced during the takeoff roll.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.