Mooney M20M accident near Broomfield, Colorado, September 20, 1997
On September 20, 1997 at about 4:53 pm local time, a Mooney M20M, registered N9140Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Broomfield, Colorado (Jeffco airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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 flaring of the airplane prematurely at a low airspeed that resulted in a hard landing, and an inadvertent stall during the attempted go-around and subsequent loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1997 · about 4:53 pm local time
- Place
- Broomfield, Colorado · Jeffco · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20M · all M20Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9140Z · registry record · serial 0085
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said his landing approach speed was between 80 and 90 knots, and he used full flaps before deploying the speed brakes. The airplane landed hard and bounced twice. The pilot applied full power in an attempt to abort the landing. The airplane stalled, landed on the nose gear, and veered off the runway. According to the Mooney Aircraft Corporation, normal approach speed with full flaps (33 degrees) deployed is 75 knots. The speed brakes may also be deployed during the landing approach.
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: 385 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 970 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 870 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,368 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AF1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RVS Tulsa OK at 1:45 pm
- Destination: BJC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 11L, 9,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:46 pm from BJC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 FTW97LA357.