Mooney M20J accident near Lakeway, Texas, May 28, 2017
On May 28, 2017 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1985 Mooney M20J, registered N211ZN, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Lakeway, Texas (Lakeway Airpark 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 failure to attain a proper touchdown point during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impaired vision due to his broken eyeglasses.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 2017 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Lakeway, Texas · Lakeway Airpark · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J, built 1985 · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N211ZN · registry record · serial 24-1535
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot stated that, during the flight, the right lens fell out of his eyeglasses. Aware of powerlines at the approach end of the runway, and with his vision impaired, he flew a higher than normal landing approach to ensure obstacle clearance. The airplane subsequently landed long, exited the end of the runway, and impacted a stone mailbox, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Sensory ability/limitation › Visual function › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Qualification/certification › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,534 hours in all; 3,100 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 24, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,302 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 24, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,899 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550-A4B (piston); 1,222 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 60TE Kerrville TX at 4:39 pm
- Destination: 3R9 Lakeway TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,930 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from KRYW, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 20, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record – Communication Summary Inspector Fortmann | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N211ZN on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mooney M-20 6,246 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mooney 5,395 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550-A4B 3,077 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lakeway Airpark · nearest airport
- Tierra Linda Ranch Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,064 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,966 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN17LA198.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.