Mooney M20C N2768W accident near Durham, North Carolina

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain proper airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall..

NTSB analysis

The pilot was attempting a soft-field takeoff from a 3,200-ft-long turf runway. The pilot stated that during the takeoff he lowered the airplane’s nose to build airspeed, then began a normal climb. About treetop height, the pilot noticed that the airspeed was decreasing, so he lowered the nose to gain airspeed, but was sacrificing altitude to do so. Realizing that there was limited runway available, and not wanting to collide with the trees at the end of the runway, the pilot again increased the airplane’s pitch to begin a gradual climb. The pilot stated that at that point the airplane did not “have the power or speed to overcome the windshear.” The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

A mechanic who watched the airplane during the takeoff noted that it was flying at a “very slow speed” about 30 feet above the ground. The airplane continued to slow before the left wing dropped and the pitch of the nose decreased. The airplane started to turn to the left and the left wing impacted the ground.

The airplane impacted the ground adjacent to a tree line off the left side of the runway. The fuselage, empennage, and left wing were substantially damaged.

The closest automated weather observation station, about 10 miles south, reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 240° at 13 knots. The airplane was departing from runway 32. The pilot described that at the time of the accident, the wind was light and variable from the east northeast.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA20CA205 for the full record.