Mooney M20K accident near Grt Barrington, Massachusetts, May 31, 2000

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

The airplane entered the traffic pattern for landing on the elevated runway. The runway had a displaced threshold due to tall trees at the approach end. Witnesses described the airplane's 'acrobatic' flight path as it flew back and forth through the extended runway centerline, weaved through the trees, and descended below the runway. The airplane pitched up, climbed over the leading edge of the runway, and struck the tail prior to the threshold bar. The airplane bounced, departed the runway to the left, and over flew an airplane parked at the hold-short line for the active runway. The airplane continued to the left of the landing runway and came to rest in wetlands approximately 400 feet beyond, and 1,140 left of the departure end of the runway. The pilot reported he experienced both full engine power and then a power loss during the aborted landing. There was no fuel spillage at the scene. A detailed examination of the wreckage revealed no mechanical anomalies. The left fuel tank contained 32 gallons of fuel, and the right fuel tank contained 1 gallon. Each tank has a 39-gallon capacity, of which 1.5 gallons is unusable. The fuel selector was on the right tank.

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.