Summary
On March 19, 2014, a Mooney M20J (N201VA) was involved in an accident near Lamar, CO. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury, 1 minor injury, with 1 person uninjured out of 3 aboard. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot allowed the airplane to liftoff without sufficient airspeed which resulted in a stall and subsequent impact with the terrain.
The pilot reported he had not flown the airplane for years, but once or twice a year, he would taxi the airplane up and down his private airstrip. He stated that on this occasion, he was taxied the airplane on the airstrip, and for some unknown reason, he decided to pull back on the yoke and allow the airplane to become airborne. The airplane did not have sufficient airspeed to stay airborne. The airplane stalled and impacted the terrain in a nose down attitude resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane which would have precluded normal operation.
This accident is documented in NTSB report CEN14CA440. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N201VA.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot allowed the airplane to liftoff without sufficient airspeed which resulted in a stall and subsequent impact with the terrain.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The pilot reported he had not flown the airplane for years, but once or twice a year, he would taxi the airplane up and down his private airstrip. He stated that on this occasion, he was taxied the airplane on the airstrip, and for some unknown reason, he decided to pull back on the yoke and allow the airplane to become airborne. The airplane did not have sufficient airspeed to stay airborne. The airplane stalled and impacted the terrain in a nose down attitude resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane which would have precluded normal operation.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN14CA440