ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 153727
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| Date: | Sunday 3 March 2013 |
| Time: | 13:20 |
| Type: |  Mooney M20E Super 21 |
| Owner/operator: | Verhalen Flyers Llc |
| Registration: | N3484X |
| MSN: | 1156 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1957 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4786 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-360-A1A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Angel Fire Airport - KAXX, Angel Fire, NM -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Angel Fire, NM (KAXX) |
| Dallas, TX | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Before takeoff, strong, gusting wind from the west was present, so a fixed-base operator (FBO) employee asked the pilot about his intent to fly. He stated that the pilot seemed "confident" about his ability to fly the airplane and that he was not concerned about the wind. As the airplane departed, the reported wind was 33 knots gusting to 47 knots. The FBO employee stated that he saw the airplane "crab" into the wind about 40 degrees right of the runway's heading. The airplane rose and fell repeatedly as its wings rocked. When the airplane was between 75 and 150 feet above the ground, the left wing dropped, and the airplane then rolled left, descended inverted, and impacted terrain in a nose-down attitude. A postimpact examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A weather research and forecasting model indicated that, at the time of the accident, the accident site was located within a turbulent mountain-wave environment, with low-level windshear, updrafts and downdrafts, downslope winds, and an environment conducive for rotors (that is, a violent rolling wave of air occurring in lee of a mountain or hill in which air rotates about a horizontal axis). The pilot had no prior experience flying out of the accident airport and it was the highest elevation airport he had ever used. In addition, he had limited experience flying in mountainous areas.
Probable Cause: The pilot's loss of control while flying in a turbulent mountain-wave environment. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's overconfidence in his ability to safely pilot the airplane in gusting wind conditions and his lack of experience operating in mountainous areas.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 27 February 1964 | N5294B | Commercial | 0 | Albany, Oregan | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Mar-2013 16:46 | Geno | Added |
| 04-Mar-2013 01:24 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 04-Mar-2013 03:20 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Nature, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 28-Nov-2017 14:15 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Jul-2022 14:21 | rvargast17 | Updated [Damage] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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