No fatalities

2 Dec 2012: MOONEY AIRPLANE CO INC M20TN — Durango, CO

Durango, CO, United States

On 2 Dec 2012, a MOONEY AIRPLANE CO INC M20TN was involved in an aviation accident near Durango, CO. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot reported that he failed to maintain control of the airplane. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 10 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

An airplane bounced twice during landing, then initiated a go-around. During the climb, the pilot retracted gear and flaps, causing the nose to pitch up and the right wingtip to strike the runway, resulting in a veer and collision with terrain.

Event Description

The airplane bounced twice during the landing attempt. The pilot then added full throttle to perform a go-around. As the airplane began to climb, the pilot retracted the landing gear and flaps. Immediately, the nose of the airplane pitched up sharply, and the right wingtip struck the runway surface. The airplane then veered sharply to the right and impacted terrain on the right side of the runway.

Damage and Pilot Report

The impact resulted in the collapse of the landing gear and substantial damage to the engine mount, firewall, fuselage, and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure and that he just failed to maintain control of the airplane.

Probable cause

The pilot reported that he failed to maintain control of the airplane.

Contributing factors

PilotIncorrect use/operation