Mooney M20J accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, March 27, 1998
On March 27, 1998 at about 2:35 pm local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N192ER, was substantially damaged in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida (Dayton Beach Intl airport). It was an instructional 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student's failure to maintain control of the airplane, and the CFI's inadequate supervision. A factor was that the CFI allowed the airplane's sink rate to get excessive during the approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 1998 · about 2:35 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · Dayton Beach Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N192ER · no longer on the register · serial 24-3242
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The CFI stated that the accident occurred on the 'third and final approach' to runway 7R. On this approach, the student was going to add extra nose up trim, and the CFI approved. The CFI said that while on final approach, about '50 feet agl [above ground level],' he noticed the airplane was 'sinking faster than normal.' As he looked at the airspeed indicator (reading 65 knots), the student added full power to stop the sink rate. He knew they weren't going to touch down at the designated touchdown point, so he told the student to 'execute a go-around.' As the student added full power, the right main gear touched down unexpectedly. The CFI took the flight controls, and put his hand over the student's hand on the throttle, and both pushed forward on the yoke to prevent the airplane from stalling. As both pilots applied forward pressure on the yoke, the left wing stalled and dropped, impacting the ground to the left of runway 7R, between the runway and taxiway 'S.'
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,352 hours in all; 223 in this make and model; 165 in the last 90 days; 74 in the last 30 days; 1,289 as pilot in command; 1,045 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,275 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 20, 1998; 447 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7R, 3,197 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from DAB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.