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Accidents · NTSB GAA18CA233 · Final report

Mooney M20F accident near Bulberde, Texas, April 19, 2018

On April 19, 2018 at about 9:55 pm local time, a 1966 Mooney M20F, registered N3535X, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Bulberde, Texas (Bulverde Airpark airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot’s unstabilized approach, which resulted in the airplane landing long and fast, and the pilot’s subsequent decision to steer the airplane off the side of the runway to avoid a runway overrun.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
April 19, 2018 · about 9:55 pm local time
Place
Bulberde, Texas · Bulverde Airpark · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Mooney M20F NO SERIES, built 1966 · all M20Fs on the register
Registration
N3535X · registry record · serial 670072
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

According to the pilot who occupied the right front seat, during the flight, the engine started to run roughly. He added that, during landing, the airplane was fast and high, and it touched down about 1,200 ft past the approach end of the 2,890-ft-long runway. A pilot-rated passenger occupied the left front seat, which was the only position configured with brakes. The pilot-rated passenger applied the brakes during the landing roll, and the pilot maneuvered the airplane to exit the left side of the runway to avoid a runway overrun and impact with a fence. The airplane exited the left side of the runway, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane subsequently skidded to a stop in the grass safety area. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft section of the fuselage. During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, a flight instructor, who was seated in the rear of the airplane during the flight, reported that the airplane touched down about 100 knots with between 40 and 60 percent of the runway remaining. According to the manufacturer's airplane operator manual, the minimum runway landing roll distance at sea level is 785 ft when the ground speed is 70 knots. The METAR at the airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 07° at 12 knots, gusting to 17 knots. The airport field elevation was 789 ft, and the pilot landed the airplane on runway 34.

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

What happened, in order

  1. Fuel starvation during enroute defining event
  2. Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained

Pilot

  • Certificate: commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 1,228.1 hours in all; 308 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 13.5 in the last 30 days; 1,114 as pilot in command
  • Last flight review: August 12, 2017
  • Medical certificate: Class 3
  • Seat: rgt
  • Injury: no injuries

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land
  • Flight time: 70 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
  • Last flight review: April 5, 2018
  • Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 4,475 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, January 31, 2018
  • Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
  • Seats: 4
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 1,500 hours total
  • Operator: Zulu Aviation Corp.

The flight

  • Departed from: FTW Fort Worth TX at 8:15 pm
  • Destination: 1T8 Bulberde TX
  • Flight plan: IFR
  • Runway 34, 2,890 ft by 40 ft
  • A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 070° at 12 knots, gusting 17
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
  • Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
  • Observation at 9:51 pm from KSAT, 12 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew2
Passengers2

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

3 documents, released by the NTSB on October 29, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

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.