Mooney M20K accident near Grand Junction, Colorado, October 14, 2003
On October 14, 2003 at about 9:56 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N5659L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Junction, Colorado (Walker Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper flare and his failure to maintain airspeed resulting in a stall and hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 2003 · about 9:56 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Junction, Colorado · Walker Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N5659L · registry record · serial 25-0762
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he had completed an uneventful touch-and-go landing on runway 29 using an approach speed of 67 knots. On the second touch-and-go landing, he used an approach speed of 70 knots. He stated that the airplane's airspeed was stable around the pattern. However, just short of the runway, at approximately 30 feet agl, he encountered a slight "burble." He initiated full power, and when he dropped the nose of the airplane a few degrees, he encountered a second "burble." The pilot stated that "the airplane literally fell out of the sky" and struck the runway. The impact with the runway separated the right main landing gear and the separated right main landing gear struck the right horizontal stabilizer. The nose landing gear collapsed, the right wing tip and propeller struck the runway, and the airplane slid approximately 150 feet. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar and the right horizontal stabilizer. The reported weather conditions at 1553 and 1604, indicated a shift in wind, from 310 degrees at 5 knots to 280 degrees at 8 knots respectively.
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: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,000 hours in all; 2,248 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 18,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 8, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,248 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 16, 2003; 1.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GJT Grand Junction CO at 9:30 pm
- Destination: GJT Grand Junction CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 290, 10,501 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from GJT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.