Mooney M20J N3707H

Summary

On 26 December 2021 at about 16:04 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N3707H, operated by Sterling Silver Flyers LLC, was involved in an accident near Jacksonville, Florida, 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

26 December 2021 at 16:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Herlong Recreational (HEG)

Coordinates

30.2735, -81.8250

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N3707H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Sterling Silver Flyers LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22FA095

2 people died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin. Contributing was the pilot’s likely distraction due to the opening of the baggage door.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed on a local 20-minute flight before returning to the airport traffic pattern. After performing a low approach to the runway, the airplane began to climb slowly from an altitude of about 50-100 ft. While over the runway, just as the landing gear were raised, the baggage door fully opened. A witness reported that after the door opened, the airplane stopped climbing and began a slight turn to the right. Another witness reported that as the airplane was at an altitude of 200-400 ft, along the runway extended centerline, the right wing “dropped” and the airplane appeared to enter a spin, which continued until it impacted the ground. The airplane came to rest upright in a field, with no debris path or ground scars in the vicinity of the wreckage. It was partially consumed by a postcrash fire. Examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The witness descriptions as well as the lack of any lateral debris path or ground scars at the accident site were consistent with an aerodynamic stall/spin. Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) data indicated that as the airplane overflew the runway, its groundspeed varied between about 50 and 56 knots. The reported wind at the time of the accident was a headwind of 8-9 knots. These speeds are close to the airplane’s published stall speeds, which vary from about 55 to 63 knots, depending on flap and landing gear configuration. Based on this information, it is likely that the opening of the baggage door startled and/or distracted the pilot, drawing his attention away from maintaining the airspeed. The airplane then likely slowed, which led to a stall and subsequent spin. Toxicology results identified low levels of both amphetamine and diphenhydramine in the pilot’s cavity blood. The reason for the pilot’s use of amphetamine could not be determined from the available information; personal health records could not be obtained. Thus, whether he was at increased risk for distraction from an underlying attention deficit disorder is unknown and any effects from such a condition could not be determined. Given the low level of diphenhydramine in postmortem cavity blood, it is unlikely that any effects from his use of diphenhydramine contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.