Accident Details
On February 20, 2022, about 1530 central daylight time, a Mooney M20C airplane, registration N6750U, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Crete, Nebraska. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that the preflight inspection was normal. During the takeoff roll, before rotation, he perceived that the airplane made a “hard left turn.” He applied backpressure to the control yoke, and the airplane became airborne in a nose-high attitude. The airplane lifted off briefly, stalled, and settled back to the runway, dragging the tail. It then became airborne again, veered left, and stalled once more. The airplane subsequently touched down off the runway in a bean field, sustaining substantial damage to the wings.
Video Evidence
A video provided by the airport recorded the takeoff. It showed that during the takeoff roll, the airplane’s nose rotated for takeoff but the airplane did not appear to gain any altitude as it continued down the runway. Still in a nose-high attitude, the airplane lifted off and then began to drift left before settling back to the ground into the bean field. During the accident sequence, the airport’s windsock indicated a slight left crosswind.
Postaccident Examination
The pilot reported that there may have been some landing gear wear points or a problem with the nose gear alignment that contributed to the accident. However, a postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operations.