ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 279629
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| Date: | Saturday 25 June 2022 |
| Time: | 18:23 |
| Type: |  Mooney M20J 201 |
| Owner/operator: | GMT Enterprises LLC |
| Registration: | N4267H |
| MSN: | 24-0690 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Kerrville Municipal Airport (ERV/KERV), TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Kerrville Airport, TX (ERV/KERV) |
| Stephenville-Clark Field, TX (SEP/KSEP) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On June 25, 2022, about 1823 central daylight time, a Mooney M20J, N4267H, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Kerrville, Texas. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight.
The airplane had undergone an annual inspection that was completed in December 2021. The accident pilot was unable to pick up the airplane following the inspection, so it remained with the maintenance facility until the day of the accident. The accident flight was the first time the pilot had flown the airplane since the inspection.
Because the airplane sat unused for so long, in advance of the arrival of the pilot, the maintenance facility flew a test flight on June 23. During that flight, it was discovered that the directional gyro was inoperative. The gyro was replaced the following day, and another test flight was flown. The test pilot stated that beyond the problems with the directional gyro, the test flights were uneventful.
The airplane was then serviced with the addition of 25.1 gallons of 100 low-lead aviation fuel to the fuel level indicators, or “tabs”, which would have indicated that each tank contained 25 gallons of fuel (32 gallons capacity).
The pilot arrived at the airport about 1700 on the day of the accident, having been flown inbound along with the passenger from Dublin Municipal Airport (9F0) by a friend.
None of the security cameras located at Kerrville airport recorded the airplanes takeoff, and no witnesses came forward to report they had observed the initial takeoff sequence. However, the airport manager stated that runway 12 was active at the time of the accident.
Preliminary ADS-B data provided by the FAA indicated that at 1819, the airplane was on an east-northeast track, about 2 miles east of the departure end of runway 12 at an altitude of about 1,775 ft mean seal level (15o ft above ground level (agl)). When combined with field wind conditions, the data revealed that the airplane was travelling at an airspeed of about 70 knots.
Over the next two minutes, the airplane began a 180° left turn, while travelling at about 80 knots. The airplane began to accelerate as it rolled out of the turn, reaching 96 knots as it approached runway 30. The last recorded target indicated the airplane was about 150 ft agl, 1,700 ft short of the runway 30 threshold, while tracking on the runway heading.
About this time, a witness, who was also a pilot, was driving eastbound on a parallel highway, just south of the runway. He stated that he was passing about midfield, when he saw a Mooney airplane approaching runway 30 with the landing gear extended at an altitude of about 150 ft agl. He knew the winds that day were favoring the southeast and wondered why the airplane was making what appeared to be a downwind landing on runway 30. He thought the pilot may have been practicing an instrument approach but noticed that the airplane appeared to be flying erratically in both the lateral and vertical planes. He stated that the propeller was turning, and there was no fire, smoke, or other signs of distress. As the flight progressed, the airplane became offset to the north of the runway centerline while maintaining altitude, he then lost sight of the airplane as he continued to travel along the highway.
A southeast-facing security camera located on the wall of a school, about 0.75 miles northwest of the departure end of runway 30, captured the last 2 seconds of the flight. The video showed that the airplane was flying southwest just above a tree line while in a left 30° bank. The airplane continued to roll left until the underside was visible as it descended into the trees and a fireball ensued.
The airplane came to rest at an elevation of about 1,600 ft on the slope of a hill, about 4,200 ft beyond the runway 12 threshold, and 20° offset the runway centerline. The first identified point of impact was a cleanly cut swath of tree branches and limbs, at an angle of 70° relative to the horizon. The airplane was located about 30 ft southwest of the swath, at the base of a felled 50-ft tall oak tree. The tree exhibited impact damage along its north face.
The cabin skins were consumed by fire, with only crushed and bent steel frame members remaining. Most of the wings and the tail section were thermally consumed, however, sections of all major airframe components and primary flight controls were found within the immediate wreckage site. The landing gear actuator was located, and its jack screw appeared to be fully retracted, consistent with the landing gear being extended at impact. The trim jack screws in both the moving tail, and elevator cabin trim assemblies exhibited extension dimensions that matched the takeoff pitch trim position.
Sources:
https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/plane-crash-causes-fire-near-kerrville-airport/273-abcefc39-a20d-40a0-a4b8-e96aae7364dc
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=4267H
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N4267H/history/20220625/2340Z/KERV/KERV
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a5153e&lat=29.982&lon=-99.080&zoom=14.0&showTrace=2022-06-25
https://www.flickr.com/photos/86225437@N08/21109605596/ (photo)
Location
Media:
NTSB investigating the 6/25/2022 crash of a Mooney M20J in Kernville, Texas.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) June 26, 2022
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Jun-2022 02:22 | Geno | Added |
| 26-Jun-2022 04:44 | RobertMB | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Nature, Source] |
| 26-Jun-2022 05:45 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Source] |
| 26-Jun-2022 05:50 | harro | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Departure airport, Source] |
| 26-Jun-2022 06:07 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative] |
| 26-Jun-2022 06:18 | RobertMB | Updated [Phase, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 27-Jun-2022 01:07 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Total occupants, Source, Category] |
| 27-Jun-2022 06:50 | Fibonacci | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Source] |
| 27-Jun-2022 06:50 | harro | Updated [Total occupants] |
| 27-Jun-2022 16:02 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Phase, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 13-Jul-2022 00:27 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
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