History of Flight
On December 2, 2022, about 1504 eastern standard time, a Mooney M20J, registration N3515H, sustained substantial damage when it struck trees during approach to Falmouth Airpark (5B6), Falmouth, Massachusetts. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the pilot-rated passenger received serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to a friend of the pilot, earlier that day, he and three other aircraft, including the accident airplane, flew from 5B6 to Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (BAF), Westfield/Springfield, Massachusetts, for lunch. After lunch, they all returned to 5B6. Before landing, he heard a female voice making radio calls from the accident airplane. She announced entry into the downwind leg of the traffic pattern and then onto final leg for runway 25. While on short final, he spotted the crashed airplane at the approach end of runway 25.
The pilot-rated passenger stated that the flight to BAF was uneventful. She was not pilot-in-command at the time of the accident but was double-checking everything during the flight. She reported that the sun was “blinding” during the approach to runway 25, but there was enough wind that they did not feel comfortable landing on runway 7. On short final, she adjusted the pilot’s sun visor, looked down to check the airplane’s configuration for landing, and when she looked up, she knew the airplane was going to hit trees. She believed the pilot could not see because of the sun. She stated the engine was running fine, and there were no flight control anomalies.
Meteorological Information
A review of the sun’s azimuth and angle indicated that the sun was directly in front of the airplane during the approach.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted 75-ft-tall trees and came to rest 200 ft from the runway 25 threshold. Two impact craters were observed; both contained clear and green plexiglass, consistent with impact from the right wing. A 10-ft ground scar ended with a 2-ft-deep crater. All major components were located at the accident site. The fuselage from the firewall to the empennage was crushed and impact damaged. The instrument panel and cockpit were destroyed by impact forces. Engine and propeller controls were full forward; the engine was partially separated from the firewall. Flight controls within the cockpit were impact damaged but remained connected to the flight control push/pull tubes throughout the fuselage. Flight control continuity was established to all flight control surfaces. The empennage remained intact, and the horizontal stabilizers, elevators, vertical stabilizer, and rudder remained attached and were unremarkable.
Flight Recorders
The airplane was equipped with an Appareo Stratus PRX V2, and its data were successfully downloaded by the NTSB Recorder Specialist using the manufacturer’s procedures. The Appareo Stratus is a self-contained, battery-powered device that incorporates an internal attitude and heading reference system (AHRS), a GPS/WAAS receiver, and an ADS-B receiver. A review of the tabular data retrieved from the device indicated that the airplane was at an altitude about 100 ft mean sea level (msl) as it approached the trees, corresponding to about 59 ft above ground level.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy of the pilot was performed by The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was accident. Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory found no drugs of abuse. Tamsulosin was detected in the blood and urine and is a prescription medication commonly used to treat symptoms of an enlarged prostate. Tamsulosin is not generally considered impairing.