On June 10, 2004, a Mooney M20C (registration N3911N) operated by Gregg M. Bettis was involved in an aviation accident near Golden, MO. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing and go-around, which resulted in the airplane impacting trees. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An aircraft drifted left during landing, prompting a go-around that ended in a collision with trees approximately 70 feet from the runway due to loss of control.
What happened
The airplane collided with trees and terrain while executing an attempted go-around. During the initial landing phase, the pilot reported that the aircraft began drifting toward the left side. In response to this deviation, the pilot attempted to apply corrective inputs to maintain alignment with the runway centerline. When these corrections proved insufficient, the decision was made to initiate a go-around procedure.
Following the initiation of the climb, the airplane struck trees located approximately 70 feet to the left of the runway threshold. There were no reported mechanical defects found during post-accident examination, and the pilot did not report any pre-existing mechanical issues prior to the flight.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing and go-around, which resulted in the airplane impacting trees.