Mooney M20K accident near Grt Barrington, Massachusetts, May 31, 2000
On May 31, 2000 at about 3:39 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N1154K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grt Barrington, Massachusetts (Great Barrington Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to perform a go around and his inadequate recovery from a bounced landing. Factors in the accident were the pilot's s failure to maintain the proper glide path and to reach the proper touchdown point.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2000 · about 3:39 pm local time
- Place
- Grt Barrington, Massachusetts · Great Barrington Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N1154K · no longer on the register · serial 25-0634
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
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.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 789 hours in all; 564 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 719 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,611 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 17, 2000; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO 360 GB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALB Albany NY at 3:10 pm
- Destination: GBR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 2,579 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from PSF, 15 miles away
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.