Mooney M20S accident near Buckhannon, West Virginia, October 31, 2001
On October 31, 2001 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20S, registered N1008R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Buckhannon, West Virginia (Upshur County Regional Airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The CFI's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 2001 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Buckhannon, West Virginia · Upshur County Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20S · all M20Ss on the register
- Registration
- N1008R · registry record · serial 30-0055
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While landing, the CFI pulled back on the yoke in preparation for landing. The airplane floated down the runway, and the CFI became concerned that a safe landing could not be made. At that point, the CFI "felt a heavy sink rate...along with a flared pitch attitude." As the CFI applied full throttle to abort the landing, the airplane touched down hard on the runway, collapsing the landing gear.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 787 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 137 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 683 as pilot in command; 392 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 11, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 245 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 217 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 28, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 249 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 30, 2001; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Cont IO-550-G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LWB Lewisburg WV at 10:50 pm
- Destination: W22 Buckhannon WV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from CKB, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Other NTSB records under N1008R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC02LA022.