Mooney M20F accident near Telluride, Colorado, May 17, 1998
On May 17, 1998, a Mooney M20F, registered N6444Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Telluride, Colorado (Telluride Regional 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 exceeded the crosswind capability performance of the aircraft, and his delayed response in initiating a go around. Factors were gusty, crosswind and tailwind conditions, and high density altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 1998
- Place
- Telluride, Colorado · Telluride Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6444Q · no longer on the register · serial 670523
- 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 contacted the airport for a weather advisory prior to landing and was told that the winds were favoring runway 9. Prior to touchdown, he received a report on the radio that the wind had shifted to 220 degrees at 20 knots with gusts to 25 knots. The airplane touched down and as it was rolling out, the aircraft became airborne. The pilot applied full power and retracted the landing gear. He flew the aircraft approximately half way down the runway at about 20 feet above the ground, hit the ground, bounced once, then landed in a drainage ditch. Calculated density altitude at the time was 11,041 feet above mean sea level, and the angle between the runway and the wind was 130 degrees. Given the reported wind speed of 20 knots with gusts to 25 knots, the crosswind and tailwind component values fall off the wind component chart. The values at the chart limits are 12 knots and 10 knots respectively. According to Mooney Aircraft Flight Test, the demonstrated cross wind component is 13 knots and there is no demonstrated tail wind component. The propeller was destroyed, and the wings and lower fuselage sustained substantial damage.
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
- Flight time: 925 hours in all; 264 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 872 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 1997; 150 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KS49 Moscow KS at 9:30 pm
- Destination: TEX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 6,870 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.