Pilot Debrief

MOONEY M20J near Katy, TX — 2022-02-12

Final reportCEN22LA118
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Date
2022-02-12
Location
Katy, TX, USA
Airport
IWS
Aircraft
MOONEY M20J
Registration
N201VZ
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper glidepath while on the final approach segment of the traffic pattern in dark night conditions.

NTSB narrative

The airplane was approaching the destination airport in dark night conditions when it collided with trees, impacted terrain, and came to rest about 500 ft before the runway threshold. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and empennage. Neither occupant could remember the events of the accident flight. A postaccident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Additionally, data recovered from multiple devices that contained non-volatile memory revealed no anomalies with recorded engine parameters and that all flight parameters were consistent with controlled flight.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the landing approach earlier to avoid terrain collision.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 12 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents12

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