Mooney M20C N591BB accident near Riverside, California

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and aircraft control, resulting in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

The pilot, who had recently purchased a half share of the airplane, and two passengers were on a local area flight and had stopped at the airport for dinner. The accident occurred as the flight was departing to return to their home airport. A witness reported that once airborne the airplane was "porpoising" up and down as it flew towards him. As the airplane neared the end of the runway, he saw it make a steep climbing left turn. The airplane then rolled inverted and descended towards the ground in a near-vertical nose-down attitude. The airplane impacted a palm tree and a vehicle that was parked on the residential street located just south of the airport. After the airplane impacted the ground, the witness saw an explosion and a fire ball. A postcrash fire largely consumed the wreckage. An examination of the engine showed no discrepancies that would have precluded power from being developed prior to impact. There was no evidence of structural, powerplant, or systems failure. All of the airplane's primary structure and flight controls were accounted for at the accident site. Primary flight control system continuity was established. The fuel selector valve was selected on the left tank. Flaps and landing gear were retracted and the tail trim was measured and found to be set for takeoff.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for LAX08FA068 for the full record.