Mooney M20K accident near Englewood, Colorado, May 29, 2005
On May 29, 2005 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N928MB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Englewood, Colorado (Centennial 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane and the pilot's improper use of unusual attitude recovery procedure. Contributing factors were the failure of the HSI and the clouds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2005 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Englewood, Colorado · Centennial Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N928MB · registry record · serial 25-0859
- 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 was in instrument meteorological conditions and climbing to his cruise altitude when the horizontal situation indicator (HSI) failed. He became disoriented, the airplane got into an unusual attitude, and he lost control of the airplane. When the airplane broke out of the clouds, it was descending rapidly, and he pulled back hard on the control yoke to arrest the descent. During the recovery, the airplane's structural limitations were exceeded and the airplane was overstressed. According to a telephone interview with a mechanic who replaced the HSI at Duncan Aviation, a repair shop located at APA, a plastic gear in the HSI was "stripped" and the heading bug caused the compass card to "hang-up."
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: 3,000 hours in all; 2,260 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,706 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2005; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-GB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO at 3:00 pm
- Destination: CMA Camarillo CA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 3:30 pm from APA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN05LA139.