Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20K accident near Cresson, Texas, July 23, 2011
On July 23, 2011 at about 2:00 am local time, a Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20K, registered N1149D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Cresson, Texas (Bourland Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate recovery from a bounced landing and subsequent failure to maintain directional control of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2011 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Cresson, Texas · Bourland Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20K
- Registration
- N1149D · no longer on the register · serial 25-0604
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the pilot’s second landing attempt, the airplane landed hard on the main landing gear and bounced. The pilot lost control during the bounce, resulting in the airplane touching down hard on the nose landing gear. The nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane slid sideways off of the runway. The airplane impacted obstructions and both main landing gear legs collapsed, causing substantial damage to the fuselage and the left wing. The pilot reported that his airspeed was too fast and that the accident would not have happened if he had aborted the landing after the first hard bounce.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Abnormal runway contact during landing defining event
- Abrupt maneuver during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 25, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,994 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 16, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BRO Brownwood TX at 1:00 am
- Destination: 50F Cresson TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,092 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 am from KGDJ, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.