Mooney M20J N3700H

Summary

On 24 August 2013 at about 14:30 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N3700H was involved in an accident near Marco Island, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 August 2013 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Marco Island, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Marco Island (MKY)

Coordinates

25.9950, -81.6725

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N3700H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marco Island → Naples

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13LA374

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper pitch trim setting before takeoff, which resulted in the airplane’s rapid, nose-high pitch at takeoff and the pilot’s subsequent loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he set the flaps at 15 degrees for takeoff and that the flap position indicator and the adjacent pitch trim position indicator appeared to "line up," which was normal. However, during the takeoff, the airplane pitched up more rapidly than normal, and the pitch trim did not seem to be working. The event occurred too quickly for the pilot to abort the takeoff, and, because of the relatively low airspeed and the high engine torque and P-factor, he was unable to counteract the airplane's left turning tendency. The airplane subsequently descended into a swamp left of the runway. At the accident scene, the airplane's flap and trim position annunciators indicated that the flaps were in the "takeoff" position but that the pitch trim was in the "up" position; the Pilot's Operating Handbook stated that the pitch trim was to be set to the "takeoff" position for takeoff. For pitch trim control, the airplane's entire empennage would have pivoted to increase or decrease the horizontal stabilizer angle. The system used a worm gear, which would have prevented the annunciated trim position from moving when the airplane impacted the ground. Pitch trim was subsequently tested electrically to the stops with no binding noted. The pilot did not report any runaway pitch anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.