Mooney M20C N1204X

Summary

On 21 November 2023 at about 23:48 local time, a Mooney M20C registered N1204X was involved in an accident near Plano, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 November 2023 at 23:48

Classification

Accident

Location

Plano, Texas, United States

Coordinates

33.0271, -96.8424

Aircraft

Mooney M20C

Registration

N1204X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Aguila → Plano

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN24FA042

1 person died.

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a climbing turn during a go-around, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot attempted a landing at the airport and subsequently conducted a go-around. During the go-around, witnesses observed the airplane’s left wing dip perpendicular to the ground before the airplane entered a near-vertical descent. According to a study conducted with video evidence, the airplane transitioned from stable flight at a speed close to the airplane’s stall speed to flight with a large bank angle and crashed shortly thereafter. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted in a nose-low attitude and came to rest inverted; a postimpact fire ensued, destroying the airplane. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot’s medical history and age placed him at increased risk of medical impairment or sudden incapacitation. Whether such impairment or incapacitation occurred on the accident flight could not be determined from available medical evidence; however, witness observations and the video data are consistent with the pilot losing control of the airplane during a climbing turn during a go-around, which resulted in exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and the airplane entering an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low for recovery.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.