Mooney M20R accident near Warren, Vermont, May 29, 2004
On May 29, 2004 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20R, registered N53WM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Warren, Vermont (Warren-Sugarbush airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor in this accident was the wind shear as reported by the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2004 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Warren, Vermont · Warren-Sugarbush · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20R · all M20Rs on the register
- Registration
- N53WM · registry record · serial 29-0191
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was landing on runway 4, a 2,575-foot-long, 30-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The pilot reported that the airplane was approximately 10 feet above the runway, when it encountered a strong wind shear and dropped "fast and hard" onto the runway. The pilot aborted the landing and was informed over the Unicom, that the airplane's left main landing gear had separated. The pilot elected to divert to another airport, where he performed a gear up landing, without further incident. The elevation at the accident site was about 1,470 feet. Winds reported at an airport that was located about 13 miles northeast of the accident site, and at an elevation of 1,165 feet, about the time of the accident, were from 310 degrees, at 14 knots, with 21 knot gusts.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 913 hours in all; 757 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 845 as pilot in command; 222 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 29, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,048 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 7, 2004; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,368 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550-G6B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BED Bedford MA at 2:30 pm
- Destination: 0B7 Warren VT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,575 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 14 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from MPV, 13 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.