Mooney M20D accident near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, September 6, 2004
On September 6, 2004 at about 4:10 pm local time, a Mooney M20D, registered N1907Y, was destroyed in an accident near Pagosa Springs, Colorado (Stevens Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and his failure to maintain directional control. Contributing factors were the pilot's failure to abort the takeoff, and the rough and uneven runway surface.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2004 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Pagosa Springs, Colorado · Stevens Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20D · all M20Ds on the register
- Registration
- N1907Y · no longer on the register · serial 202
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and his wife made several attempts to take off but aborted each one. Airport personnel said that when the pilot came into the office, he appeared thoroughly shaken by the experience. He told employees he would not take off from the airport until runway construction had been completed and entire length of the runway was made available. He also told a mechanic that there was a shimmy in the nose wheel steering. He contracted with a local flight instructor to deliver the airplane after the repairs had been made. Delivery was postponed on three different occasions and over a period of two months when discrepancies were discovered: the right fuel tank leaked and the VOR receivers did not work; instead of being mounted on the windshield center post, the magnetic compass dangled by a few wires underneath the instrument panel, and the airspeed indicator was twisted about 60 degrees in the instrument panel. The fuel cap O-rings were "severely cracked and worn." The communication radios stopped working, the battery required charging, and the airplane required a jump-start. There were numerous 9-volt and AA batteries on the rear floor and in the door pockets. The flight instructor elected not to deliver the airplane. The pilot elected to ferry the airplane home. During the takeoff roll, the airplane departed the left side of the runway and skipped across the ground before striking a 600-pound concrete block and coming to rest inverted. A post-impact fire ensued. The 9,000-foot runway was undergoing reconstruction and only 3,900 feet was available. An additional 600-foot displaced threshold was available for takeoffs. The useable portion of runway was rough and uneven.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all; 21 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,024 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 2V1 Pagosa Springs CO at 4:10 pm
- Destination: DRO Durango CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from 2V1
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.