Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20S accident near San Antonio, Texas, July 18, 2011
On July 18, 2011 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20S, registered N442PT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near San Antonio, Texas (San Antonio International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during the go-around maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2011 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- San Antonio, Texas · San Antonio International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20S
- Registration
- N442PT · registry record · serial 30-0018
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the pilot’s second landing attempt, the airplane touched down on the runway and began to porpoise. The pilot attempted to execute a go-around by applying full engine power; however, the airplane began to yaw left and descend. When the airplane started to bank “uncontrollably” to the left, the pilot executed a gear-up landing in the grass alongside the runway. An examination of the airplane following the accident did not reveal any preimpact anomalies.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,386 hours in all; 63 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,386 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 28, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,170 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BAZ New Braunfels TX at 5:00 pm
- Destination: SAT San Antonio TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12L, 5,519 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
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.